Kio and Yuki looked outside the window to see where Riko was pointing at.
"Don Quijote? Hmm… it is nearby, but with all these zombies there, we will need to wait a bit before we get a chance to cross the streets." With all the zombies chasing after people right now, Kio believes it would be safer to wait awhile until it's safer to go outside.
*Crash*
Muffled banging sounds could be heard through the walls of the hotel, as if people were throwing a party in the hotel.
Heavy footsteps occurred above their heads, going from one direction to the other.
"Looks like the zombies made it to the floors above us," Kio deduced, listening to the muffled screams all around them.
In the midst of all the noise around them, Kio was still looking outside the window, trying to figure something out.
'Hmm, looks like you turn into a zombie if you die after being bitten.'
Kio concluded after observing a middle-aged man die from blood loss after he locked himself inside a vehicle. A visible bite mark could be seen on his neck, even though he was a few dozen meters away from Kio.
'Now the question is, how long it does it take to convert into a zombie if you don't immediately die?'
Kio pondered seriously, due to the fact that during the prior frenzy into the hotel lobby, he noticed bite marks on some of the people.
However, since those bitten individuals still seemed sane at that point in time, Kio theorized that the infection doesn't instantly turn somebody into a zombie.
"Why are you so quiet all of a sudden…?" Riko's focus had been on Kio the entire time after their calls ended. She ended up subconsciously listening to Kio's words ever since they started running away from the mad rush of people in the lobby.
Normally, she wouldn't have relied so heavily on Kio. Since she had romantic feelings towards him, any close interaction between them would lead to embarrassment for her.
"Hmm… I'm trying to find out more details of these zombies," Kio calmly replied to her, not stating any of his observations yet in case he's wrong.
Yuki on the other hand, had been frantically calling her parents every couple of minutes, in hopes of reaching them.
Her mood sank further with each unsuccessful call.
One hour... two hours... time passed slowly as silence pervaded the bedroom if one ignores the occasional banging noise from the other rooms in the hotel.
The area outside the hotel had an eerie calmness with dead bodies and bloody limbs all over the street. Although most of the zombies were gone after chasing the mob of people in the morning, a few stragglers remained behind on the streets.
*Growl*
As nightfall neared, a soft rumbling sound could be heard, which caused Yuki's cheeks to flush red in embarrassment.
"S-sorry, I haven't eaten yet after my shift ended…" Trying to cover her embarrassment, Yuki explained the cause of her grumbling stomach.
"It's fine, we're also hungry as we haven't eaten since breakfast, right Riko?"
"Mmhm, I have a bento box in my bag. I woke up early to make it for you... intending to give it you earlier…"
Riko's voice became quieter as she further explained, realizing that she's basically expressing her feelings for him.
While she covered her face, Kio scratched the back of his head, not knowing how he should react to her straightforward feelings for him.
"Wow, that's so nice of you Riko. Thanks, we can share this between all three of us. I only have a few snacks in my bag, which wouldn't last us for very long."
Deciding to confront her feelings for him later, he planned to split the amount of food they have between the three of them evenly.
"Let's eat, otherwise we won't have energy to do anything else later if we're starving."
"Sure."
"Mmkay.."
Although Riko responded, she was still slightly shy after she explained a little too much earlier.
Muffled noises could be heard outside, breaking the silence around them.
"Hm?"
While eating, Kio noticed a group of young boys and girls, ranging between the ages of 16 to 18, running outside through the hotel doors.
A few of them had wounds on their bodies, most likely caused by scratches from zombies.
"What happened?" Yuki asked, hearing the shouts outside which was very easy to notice from the quiet surroundings.
"Looks like some of the people that were hiding in the hotel are trying to escape. However, it looks like they were a little too rash, causing some of their group to get injured," Kio explained, shaking his head at the group below.
On the bright side, at least this means whichever route those people used to run out must've lured all the zombies with them. If they used the emergency stairs, then it should be free of zombies at this time.
Kio hoped to use this opportunity to get to Don Quijote since their food supply is dangerously low.
With only a few snacks left, it wouldn't even be enough for another meal for the three of them.
Luckily, the group of zombies below are running in the direction away from Don Quijote.
"Hey Riko, Yuki, I'm gonna go outside to grab some food once the coast is clear. Can you two wait here for me?" Kio stated, hoping the girls would stay as it would mean he would have less things to worry about.
"No! Kio, you can't go! Don't you see how dangerous it is outside?" Riko assertively tried to prevent Kio from leaving, worried about the danger that would befall him if he were to venture outside.
"Riko, if I don't try to get some food, we're just going to starve to death over here."
Understanding her worries, Kio tried to calm her down since going outside to scavenge for food is unavoidable in this situation.
"But…"
"No buts, I'd rather take my chances and get food for the three of us. I don't want to regret it once I'm too weak from hunger."
"...Fine, but can I come with you?"
"No, if I go alone, I don't have to constantly protect you. If I go alone, I can quickly grab the things we need and leave."
"..."
Running out of words to refute him, Riko could only quietly nod at his suggestion.
"Hey Kio, you might be able to convince her to stay, but I'm going with you. Having two people go means we can get double the amount of food and drinks. Besides, I was in the track and field club back in university, and I'm still in great shape due to my regular routines." Yuki quickly gave her reasons, giving Kio zero chance at refusing.
"Sigh… Fine, but you must listen to my words once we leave, since I don't want to stay too long over there. We don't even know the situation inside."
"Yep!" Satisfied with his reply, Yuki began to get ready to leave at a moment's notice.
Checking the situation outside again, Kio noticed more people leaving through the hotel, but they're all heading in the direction of Don Quijote this time.
Kio thought to himself, praising the people below while indirectly mocking the first group's stupidity, 'Looks like this group is a bit smarter, since they have the brains to grab food in this situation.'
"Yuki, are you ready? There's people heading towards Don Quijote already. We can't be too slow otherwise who knows what will happen."
"I'm ready!"
"Okay, let's go. Riko, no matter what, don't open the door for anyone. Even if they beg or threaten you, ignore it because you never know what will happen. I'll carry the card key so we can unlock it ourselves once we're back."
"Mmkay."
Satisfied with her answer, Kio and Yuki left their room after ensuring the hallway was empty.
*Bang*
Slowly making their way to the emergency stairs, they noticed one of the nearby rooms emitted a muffled banging sound.
Pressing their ears against the door, they heard a faint sound inside apart from the banging.
"Mom, Dad, please pick up the phone and save me…. I don't know who else to call, nobody is picking up the phone while I'm trapped inside the washroom."
A desperate plea for help could be heard from the owner of the voice, but Kio is unable to help him. He has his hands full trying to keep his own group safe. With his sister in need of his support, he doesn't have the strength to spare helping strangers.
Leaving the stranger behind, he walked to the emergency stairs and went downwards, proceeding cautiously with each step.
Before leaving the hotel, he stopped by the janitor's room.
Grabbing a wrench for himself and a mop for Yuki, they made their way to Don Quijote.