CHAPTER 30: THE NEW NORMAL

After eliminating the hostile survivors, Riku returned to his unit and there, he saw Miko with a worried expression on her face.

"You told the others about the situation outside?" Riku asked.

"No I haven’t, it will only worry them if I did," Miko replied.

"That’s good thinking," Riku praised. "Well, they won’t be able to harass us any longer."

"You killed them?"

"I did what’s necessary for our survival," Riku simply replied and continued. "In this world, Miko. Apart from zombies, you should be cautious of other survivors too. They can be even more dangerous than the infected."

Miko nodded her head, taking the advice to heart.

"What are we going to do now?"

Riku hummed in thought. For now, they have one week worth of supplies and the electricity and water are still functioning. The best thing they could do at this point is to stay here and wait for the development. Looking at it right now, it’s worse. The Self Defense Force couldn’t even contain the outbreak and without the military controlling the situation and the government’s chain-of-command not functioning, then in a few days or weeks, this country would be turned into a lawless land.

Sooner or later, they’ll have to abandon this place as they are in the most populous city on the planet. Their best bet of survival is going to the rural areas—less people, less infected, and maybe, just maybe, a chance to build something safe.

But that wasn’t something they could just do overnight.

"For now, we lay low," Riku finally said. "We can still use the radio and find out if there is an update. Surely, the government wouldn’t fall without another broadcast."

"Yes," Miko nodded.

"Now, let’s hear some news."

Riku moved to the small table near the living room window, where a portable radio sat beside a half-used pack of AA batteries. He switched it on, adjusting the dial until the faint static gave way to a familiar emergency tone.

"This is the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Emergency Broadcast System. Attention all citizens still within the city: a designated safe zone has been established at the Tokyo Big Sight Convention Center in Ariake. All survivors are urged to make their way there immediately. The Self Defense Force and police units are on site to provide evacuation and medical aid. Repeat—Tokyo Big Sight Convention Center, Ariake, is now the official safe zone. Proceed as quickly and safely as possible."

The message repeated once, then faded back into static.

Riku frowned deeply, leaning back in his chair.

Miko tilted her head. "That’s... strange. Didn’t they say before to stay indoors and wait for rescue?"

"They did," Riku said, brows knitting. "Now they’re suddenly telling everyone to move? That’s a complete reversal. Either the situation changed drastically... or someone’s making bad decisions."

"Do you think it’s a trap?" Miko asked, voice lowering unconsciously.

"I don’t know," Riku admitted. "But I do know this—if that broadcast reached us, it reached every other survivor in range. And if everyone decides to head there at the same time, the roads will be flooded. Cars, crowds, panic. Add infected into that, and..." He let the sentence hang.

Miko’s lips pressed into a thin line. "So... we’re not going?"

Riku shook his head without hesitation. "No. Not now. Maybe not ever. That place might be safer than here—or it might be a death trap before nightfall. We don’t have enough intel to risk it. For now, we stick to the plan. Lay low, watch, and see what happens to the people who go."

She nodded slowly, understanding but still clearly uneasy. "Alright... I trust your judgment."

"Good," Riku said, turning the radio off. "We’ll check again in a few hours in case there’s an update. In the meantime, we don’t draw attention to ourselves. The more invisible we are, the better our odds."

Riku exhaled slowly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. The adrenaline from earlier was wearing off, and the exhaustion was finally catching up.

"It’s late. We should get some sleep while we can."

Miko hesitated. "Do you think it’s safe to sleep now?"

"As safe as it’s going to get," Riku replied. "I killed all of the hostile survivors. So no need to worry about any danger. And I want you to sleep with them."

"But...I’m scared."

"I know but it’s best for you to sleep with them still," Riku said. "And I don’t think it’s right that we sleep in the same bed. That’s a couple things to do."

Hearing that, Miko’s cheek blushed.

"Okay...but if I hear something scary, I will come to your room."

Riku chuckled softly and sighed. "Deal."

He then went to another room where Ichika, Suzune, and Hana were cooped up in. They were watching something on their phones.

"Riku," Suzune looked up to him. "Good thing the internet was back, though temporarily. I managed to scour some footage from the internet."

"We found out that it’s not only happening in Japan, it’s happening all around the world," Ichika added.

"Really? So this is really a worldwide pandemic."

Suzune nodded grimly. "I see. I’m just here to say goodnight to you guys. Looks like the situation of the world right now is...I don’t even want to say."

"Yeah," Suzune sighed. "A zombie apocalypse taking over the world. We really have to survive this through the end."

"We will, that’s for sure."