Chapter 44: Hawk’s eyes
Honjo-san´s POV
March 19th.
In the darkness I opened my eyes, as soon as I did, I didn't know where I am, but I felt that I couldn’t make out any meaning simply by seeing the outline of the ceiling. If I close my eyelids, I can hear the sound of a person sleeping in the same room, but the information that I really want won’t come.
When I touch the sheet, it is moist and I know that the rain is near.
However, I couldn’t hear the raindrops at all and from the outside, occasionally I heard someone’s footsteps.
Picking up my smartphone on the bedside, the time is around 2 o’clock in the midnight. Even if it is raining in the future, the promised time will come, so it would be nice to go to bed today.
However, as I was thinking “Maybe today is the day of escape,” I feel like I’m going to be oversleeping.
(……I wish I could touch the night wind）
It will surely rain tomorrow. In other words, today is the last day in this base.
Although I actually spent about three weeks here, I still have the awareness that I´m indebted. Of course I will leave tomorrow so I thank them so far, but I can’t give my greeting. However, it is the last time to see everyone here since I don’t know what will happen in the future. So at the very least I wanted to burn the spectacle that this could be the last place to live as a decent human while walking in the night wind.
Therefore I didn’t change my clothes and wear a coat on top of my sleeping clothes so as not to make as little noise as possible.
Spring is approaching and it is still cold at night, but I was about to go out with such light clothing.
"……Cold"
That said, the weather is cloudy when it rains and it cools down indeed.
I thought that I should wear thick clothes a little more, but my body will warm up if I walk. I think so and take a walk around the base.
Of course I won’t see anyone. I was occasionally far away, only the lights of the people looking around were visible.
"――――I see"
I smile, because there is a conclusion for myself.
(I’m in love）
I want to go to Kazuya-san´s side, I want to meet him once again, I was thinking about such things. The reason is simply because I like Kazuya-san. By the way, if I said such a simple thing, I didn’t say it properly.
"Love"
My body temperature rose at once.
"I like Matoba-san"
My body temperature rose once again.
"I love Matoba-san!!"
While suppressing my voice, I word it properly.
I came to this common conclusion because the inside of this base where I was brought to was better than I expected.
Even if this life goes away, even if the people here dies, I certainly don’t think about them. To be precise, it may shake slightly, but the time with Kazuya was dramatic enough to think that such an error is an error.
"Huwaa……"
My tension melts completely and my body reminds me of my drowsiness.
I returned to my room and wanted to sleep again, when the sky shone a little.
Is it thunder? I turned around at once! And a dry sound echoes. I didn’t know what the sound was, but it was surely not thunder.
"Eh? Eh?"
Light and sound were only once. A flash of light twinkles twice.
Even though an obviously abnormal situation has occurred, there is no appearance that the light departs from this place.
"It’s a sniper. You don’t have to worry about trivial things"
"Hyaa!?"
Suddenly I heard a voice from behind and I jumped up quickly . In retrospect, there was Yuna.
“Yu, Yuna-san!? Why are you here……?”
"I watched you get out. I’m sorry, but I had to follow you"
"Follow……"
I remember the act that I did a while ago, which is not normal for humans.
At that time I came to a conclusion and voiced it out thinly.
How do you see it when seen from behind…and a answer came out without thinking.
"A, ah……"
I can’t describe my emotions now. What is this, shame, anger……or is it impatience or sadness?
"So!"
And somehow only one word came up in my mind.
"……Sniper, what do you mean?"
I can’t endure it anymore. However, if I talk about something else like this, I may get distracted somewhat.
It was an ad hoc question, but Yuna answers politely.
“Zombies seem to be living with hearing and vision, and this is the most cheerful and lively place in the region. If you imagine a bug in a street lamp, it would be easy to understand."
"Haa"
I imagined the insects killed by an electric shock of trap lights. It is true that the light shines for a moment on the verge of death.
“Go to bed early. It will rain soon”
“……How do you know it’s going to rain?”
When I felt a sense of deja vu somewhat, I opened my mouth towards Yuna-san who is still wearing sunglasses in this darkness.
“Intuition”
"…………Good night"
"Ah, good night"
What kind of life would you have if you say such a thing? I muttered quietly in my mind while thinking about the senpai who I just met a few days ago.
And when I laid down again, the rain sound was tapping gently into my ear.
The next day, March 20th.
When I got up it had already stopped raining. However, it was easy to imagine that the clouds became thicker and thicker and they quickly descended again.
“Good morning, please have a good morning”
While I smiled awkwardly, I handed out the breakfast soup to the members of the SDF.
The man who received the soup from me receives white rice and pickles next.
Although it is a line work, I am receiving advice from a meal staff person “Do not work as much as possible”. While being conscious of it, the flow stopped unexpectedly when it was a series of work.
Then I remember that my eyes went to my hand and I didnt see the other’s face. When I raise my face in a hurry, the human in front of me is staring at me.
“Good morning……what?”
The people of the Self Defense Force are naturally wearing camouflage clothes in a color tailored to Japanese trees. But the man in front of me was wearing a black jacket as well as a black rider suit with a tight fitting equipment such as a dump pouch and a belt keeper to store his empty magazine. On the back there is a diagonally sharp object like a sniper rifle.
And the biggest surprise for me is――black hair, that is stretching down to the waist and the person in front of me proved to be a female and not a man.
"That"
She doesn’t answer right now. She just keep silent and looks at me.
She is entirely hiding not only her body but also her whole face with black goggles and a face mask. Far from being true, I don’t even know her expression.
What should I do. As I looked around for asking for help, I saw Yuna heading towards us.
"Ai!"
The woman in front of my eyes reacts to Yuna’s call. Of course she didn’t say a word, but only moved her neck alone and put Yuna into her sight.
"Do you want to eat?”
The woman called Ai swung her head vertically. And then she looks at me again.
“Yes that’s right. She is the fellow who I went to help last time”
"…………So"
Because she didn’t say a word yet, I was wondering if she could speak, but apparently it is not so. But in the end she never talked much, and when she received the pork soup from me, she left alone first.
“……Emm, who was that?”
“Yesterday’s sniper”
“Ah, yesterday’s……was that Ai-san?”
Yuna doesn’t answer and only folds her arms.
“Because she is just called so for convenience…she can be thought of as a human of a special force who doesn’t even have a name…and her code name is Hawk’s Eye, people around me including me are calling her Ai-san as nobody knows her real name”
"Code name……"
It is not thought that it is possible to hear that word by any means other than movies and cartoons and it is impressive in a strange way. But it’s a world where zombies roam. There might be such a thing and I swallowed the presence of Hawk Eye.
–
Hero Pandemic chapter 45: Escape
“Would it be possible for me to get more from that?”
Yuna points to the pork miso soup.
"Ah, yes"
Yumi who remembered her work, stirred the pot to mix the ingredients that have sunk down since a while. And while watching the contents turning round and round, she told Yuna what she thought unexpectedly.
"……Do you have any resistance to shooting zombies?”
Because she is leaving the base, she will be fighting with zombies. However, at that time, she wasn’t sure whether she could really kill zombies. If zombies are more heterogeneous and are still like humans…then they are humans. With that feeling she can't kill.
Yumi wonders if she can smile with Kazuya while such responses don’t disappear. Or is she surprisingly, getting used to it?
But Yuna ‘s answer was unexpected.
"I don’t know. Because I have never shot an zombie"
"……Eh!?"
“Zombies are merely a common name, because they are only reported as humans who are infected with a pathogenic bacteria, whether it is a new virus or not, we naturally can't shoot at people"
"……Who is that?"
Yumi ugly figure walking while spilling the internal organs, and I can not believe Yuna that it is a person and my face suffers.
"You don’t know? Civil Servant of the Self-Defense Force."
Yuna didn’t tell more. However, that word had smacked a big existence that could be said to be even higher, that is to say than the country itself.
However, if that is the case, it can not be dismissed if it is a contempt. Regardless of the crisis of the lives of the SDF and civilians, don’t shoot at zombies……do people who have authority to command such orders say that they are people without any basis?
Is there any reason?
Although Yumi thought so, even if zombies are returned to humans, they will only become corpses that won’t move. She can't handle the existence of losing your life and becoming just a meat lump to the same line as a living human being.
But Yumi remembered her small new friend who she got acquainted with a while ago.
Where did the people who were originally there go?
Kaede is an excellent human for Yumi. Although it can only be said vaguely “amazing”, there were no people like Kaede near here. If people who are superior to Kaede are saying that zombies are humans…will that be true?
"…………A"
If zombies are humans. Then won’t they be inhuman when they become humans again.
(Even if Matoba-san was really bitten……she can help him）
If Kazuya was really bitten, then she must keep an eye on him. However, if he can return to being a human, then her hope will increase.
It is hard to believe that a zombie whose internal organs protrude is returning to being a human so that it is a inconclusive story, but the story will change if it is only a bite wound.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing”
Her increased heartbeat was held down and Yumi smiled only.
“Oh, I understand that Yuna-san has never shot a zombie, but what about Ai?”
Yuna said that she was a sniper. Zombies flock to the streets like insects.
If it was an anesthetic gun, it wouldn’t be the punchline.
“Yes……her jurisdiction is different from ours. I said that she is a special forces? The upper echelons seem to have known her existence, but they don’t have the authority to order her. Well, for us she is a blessing in disguise”
"I see"
The reason why she expressed it happily might be that Yuna didn’t think that zombies are humans. She wants to shoot if she can shoot, but she can’t. However Yumi wonders if Ai has resolved the stagnation that accumulates with that.
Even for Yumi, it’s only a relief when a zombie is shot by another person. She is not sure if an acquaintance was shot or not. The peace of her mind is kept as long as she doesn't know.
She doesn’t think that a friend’s family might be shot and killed. Except the humans who are outside of this base. Everyone thinks so, and it seems that they all have already gotten over it.
Yumi certainly worried about her family, but Kazuya-san is a priority that should be prioritized and she has nothing to do with how many zombies Ai-san shoot and kills. It is better if she would kill more quickly.
If the amount of zombies is reduced, it is safer and if the zombies gather in a place where sound and light are fierce, it would be nice to leave the base from a different place.
"……Hmm, it rains"
Yumi is under a tent so that the meals wont get wet, but there are no roofs where the people sit who are eating breakfast.
They hurriedly packed together and move to a place with a roof.
The momentum of the rain falling down became faster instead of stopping and Yumi was grasping her skirt intensely while being in her thoughts again. Probably she will be leaving here today.
“Yuna-san, you’ll lose your seat"
“Oh, yes. You also must eat properly”
“Yes, of course”
Yumi watched Yuna. She doesn’t mind those words and there was no way that Yuna realized something.
And when the night has come.
The time is before 2am. Everyone had already gone to bed and heavy rain is roaring.
It sounds noisy to people who are awake, but can’t sleep. It was also not surprising that those who slept wouldn’t wake up.
Yumi gently takes her smartphone and leaves the room without even wearing a coat. At that moment, she searched for Yuna so as not to be noticed, but she didn’t know where she was sleeping.
Yuna is surely sleeping here because her existence relieves the women. However, because it arrives at the floor later than anyone, it is unknown where it is sleeping.
(I should have find out about the place where she slept beforehand）
Entering a private room in the toilet with some regret, Yumi takes out clothes from the hidden load.
The last time she was wearing a jacket, she was marked as suspicious by Yuna. However, if it is thorough up to here, it will be truly safe. A big luggage is already carried to Kaede's laboratory beforehand and is ready.
At the end, she put on a pair of sneakers and wear a raincoat before going outside carefully. At this time of the day, she knew that the watch wouldn't pass here, but the possibility wasn’t zero.
But fortunately there was no one and Yumi’s heel kicked the ground strongly.
“Sorry I made you wait!”
When Yumi came to the technical building while arranging disturbed breathing, Kaede who was wearing a transparent raincoat over her white coat was waiting.
There was a place where she thought that it was a white coat at such time, but she didn’t say anything in particular.
“The luggage you brought secretly is inside”
"Thank you very much"
Because it is Kaede, carrying it without checking the contents won’t be bad.
They make sure that both are thoroughly prepared and nod to each other, before jumping out again soon, as the time to exchange words is meaningless.
"What about the wire mesh cutter!"
“I have prepared it!”
Shouting and communicating in the pouring rain. The rain made the noise useless and time was more important than that.
When they arrive at the escape place, Yumi receives a bolt cutter from Kaede and opens a hole in the wire mesh.
While they were expecting that it will take a little time on the tools they used for the first time in impatience and rain, the work went smoothly.
"This……!"
Yumi opened a hole that allows them to pass through at the last minute and they went through the wire mesh carefully so as not to be caught by the sharp mesh. There was no chance that Kaede would get caught in the hole through which Yumi could pass and Kaede went through the hole smoothly.
“Let’s hurry!”
"Wait! Are you going to leave the hole open!?”
Yumi´s heart bounces fast. Although it rained so far, the back of her throat was dry.
Kaede seems to have stopped and is closing the hole with a metal thread and a radio pliers.
It seems to be a watch, but above all, this is already “Outside”
(This way……）
For a moment, the devil whispers whether it is better to run, although it is really just a moment.
But the one who persuaded by the utility of Kaede… No, what?
"……I, I will help you!"
Following something more dangerous than the devil, Yumi helps Kaede closing the hole.
But rather than hurry to close the hole, Yumi should have been wary of the surroundings.
"――――Eh?"
Yumi had fallen on the ground when she noticed it. Did you grasp strongly when pulling down, lag behind and it hurts my left shoulder.
And as soon as Yumi grasped the situation, a zombie showed up with opened mouth.
Kaede who noticed the presence of the zombie was too slow to throw the pliers she was holding.
The distance between them was only one step, but the distance was fatal.
Faster than Kaede’s help and earlier than Yumi´s resist――――a flash like a meteor penetrated the head of the zombie.
Light and sound is delayed, the wind was rolled up, tapping the sand on those two.
The sound of the zombie falling down was drowned out by the rain, but the vibrations from the touched ground conveyed the reality.
"Na, e"
Kaede unexpectedly touches Yumi’s cheek. It was very cold, but the warmth of the wick was definitely felt. Of course, Yumi is alive and wasn’t bitten.
–