I embrace the two children tightly, trying to comfort them. Tears and snot run all over, soaking my hoodie.
"It's okay, you two will be fine. My friend is very strong, he will stop the monster. Now we need to get to safety first, okay? You will be safe there."
Before I could explain further, I heard the hissing sound of the spider approaching rapidly, along with the ground shaking more and more violently. With no other choice, I lifted the two children onto my shoulders, using all my strength to run towards the narrow alley ahead, hoping the spider would struggle in the confined space.
Whether it was due to my desperate strategy or thanks to Yang, perhaps a combination of both, the spider still hadn't caught up with us. But I couldn't spare a thought for that. I needed to get the kids away from danger. I kept running, one street leading to another, farther away from what lay behind.
Suddenly, a strange feeling surged within me. I felt like a true hero. I felt like I could do anything. Even though my legs ached as if they were about to fall off, I felt as light as a feather. My heart felt light and warm.
After running for a while, I noticed a familiar figure at the end of the street.
"Ray...?"
"Takehito?! What are you doing here? I told you to find shelter, didn't I? Do you realize this area is on an Orange alert?"
There are four levels of disaster alert defined by the military. White alert is the lightest level, which can be used for things like theft, robbery, and individual crimes. A yellow alert is related to mass killings, medium earthquakes, and things that begin to require military intervention. An orange alert is the next level, related to terrorism and, I guess, things like this giant spider. Red alert is for severe natural disasters or atomic weapons, things that can sweep the whole city or country off the map without any trace behind.
I stopped in front of Ray, gently placing the two children on the ground and panting heavily.
"I'm sorry... You can interrogate me later... But first, can you take these two to safety...?"
Ray knelt down on the ground, placing his hand on the children's shoulders, comforting them.
"I think there are still people who haven't evacuated from here... When I ran here, I heard them... They might still be trapped in the buildings by the spider's webs..."
"Alright, I understand. Reinforcements will arrive soon. Now go to safety first! This place is a 5-minute walk from Zone D, take the kids there! I'm counting on you!"
With that, Ray disappeared into the darkness. I followed his instructions, lifting the two children back onto my shoulders, running towards safety Zone D.
By the time we arrived, my legs were numb. Zone D was a large safe area. There are 12 such safe zones scattered throughout Tokyo, named from A to L. In Shinjuku, there are two zones, C and D.
Inside the crowded shelter, most people wore expressions of confusion and fear, their eyes staring vacantly. The oppressive atmosphere in the large bunker weighed down on my spirits. But something didn't seem right.
Why were their reactions so intense?
Yes, there was a giant monster approaching, causing the ground to tremble, possibly destroying a few small houses. But if that was all, why wear such expressions of deep sorrow and terror? Could it be...?
"Mommy!... I want my mom! Waaaaah...! WHERE'S MOMMY? WAAAAH...!"
A child within the crowd cried out. The father beside her immediately embraced the little girl, holding her close to his chest. He too began to cry.
"Your mom will be back soon...! Don't worry, Kana...!"
Unable to contain my curiosity and fear, I urgently asked a woman standing nearby.
"What happened to them...?"
She froze, her eyes red and teary, avoiding direct eye contact with me, instead staring fixedly at the ground.
"Perhaps his wife has been eaten... Just like my husband..."
Eaten? What did she mean? Hadn't the giant spider always been where we were? With Yang's vigilance, it wouldn't have had a chance to target anyone but me...?
"Those demonic spiders... They are as tall as humans... And incredibly fast too..."
"Splurt..." she said abruptly, raising her right hand towards her neck.
"And then his head fell off... And it started to mangle his head...!"
With that, she collapsed to the ground, wailing uncontrollably. She clutched her face tightly, unable to stem the flow of tears streaming through her fingers like a river.
"They are everywhere... They crawl up their giant webs and eat people in the buildings..."
"Indeed... I saw many dead people on the way here..."
I stood frozen, as if bound by invisible forces, pressing against the cold hard ground. I could feel cold sweat trickling down my spine, my hands, and feet.
"What in the world is happening? Are there more than one giant spider? Why haven't I seen anything else besides that giant spider?"
As I thought, I suddenly remembered Yang. Without much further consideration, I turned and ran out of the shelter.
"Where are you going? It's dangerous out there, you know? You'll be killed by them!" a man called after me.
"I know, but my friend is still out there!"
At some point, I started referring to Yang as my friend.
Ray would probably be fine, as he is a former soldier. And he is very skilled. Moreover, police backup will arrive soon...
Ah, it all makes perfect sense now.
My thoughts flowed incessantly at the same pace as my feet.
So that's why the police haven't arrived yet. They have to evacuate a large number of civilians. And they have to fight those rampaging monsters. They can't just come straight to the giant spider and Yang.
But why haven't I encountered any "baby spiders" yet? And I haven't seen any corpses on the way to Zone D. Apart from the giant spider, the location where I was just now was eerily peaceful.
Could it be...?
Without hesitation, I sprinted back to Yang, my mind racing with a singular thought: I had to reach Yang and warn him before it was too late.