The silence stretched between us as the last of the zombies hit the water, their groans fading beneath the river's current. I kept walking, the beats in my earbuds picking up pace again, grounding me in the rhythm as I left the scene of destruction behind.
But I could feel their eyes on me—Takashi, Rei, Saya, Hirano, and of course, Saeko. They had no idea who I was, but that didn't matter. The apocalypse doesn't care about introductions.
Takashi finally jogged to catch up, his steps heavy with lingering adrenaline. "Wait—who the hell are you?" His voice wavered between suspicion and something that almost sounded like grudging respect.
I stopped mid-step and threw a glance over my shoulder. The fire in his eyes was familiar, but it didn't faze me. This guy was the "protagonist," but right now, that title didn't mean shit.
"Name's Kira," I said flatly, popping one earbud out. "Not your enemy, if that's what you're worried about."
Takashi frowned, clearly not satisfied with the answer. "Why help us, then?"
I rolled my neck, a slow smirk creeping up. "Felt like it. Plus…" I looked him up and down, letting the silence build, "you guys would've been dead if I hadn't."
His jaw clenched, and I could see the flicker of irritation in his eyes. Yeah, I hit a nerve. I stifled a laugh. Too easy.
Rei, always the loyal one, stepped in next to him, her expression somewhere between awe and skepticism. Her eyes, however, lingered a little longer than necessary, sweeping over my bloodstained clothes, the weapons strapped to my back.
Takashi noticed. I caught the flash of jealousy in his eyes, even if he tried to hide it. "We didn't ask for your help," he muttered, his voice a bit sharper now.
I shrugged. "Didn't need to."
Behind them, Saya was watching me with a different kind of intensity, her sharp eyes studying every movement, every word I said. I could almost hear the gears turning in her head, calculating, analyzing. She wasn't going to jump in with the same kind of hostility as Takashi, but I could tell she wasn't one to trust easily.
Fine by me. I wasn't here to make friends.
Hirano, on the other hand, couldn't contain himself. "You—where the hell did you get a rocket launcher like that? I mean, the blast radius alone was—"
I held up a hand, cutting him off. "Relax, nerd. You'll give yourself an aneurysm."
He blushed, clearly realizing how much he was geeking out. But he kept glancing at the launcher slung over my shoulder like it was a holy relic. Kid needed to get out more. Or maybe he didn't. It was the apocalypse, after all.
Saya crossed her arms, her voice cutting through Hirano's excitement. "We don't know you, and we have no reason to trust you. For all we know, you could be leading us into a trap."
I met her gaze head-on, unfazed by the venom in her words. "If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead." Simple as that. No bravado, just facts.
That shut her up. For now.
Saeko had been quiet all this time, but her presence was palpable. She walked a step behind, her fingers tracing the edge of the sword I'd loaned her. There was something calm about her, something that kept her from joining in the questioning. Maybe she didn't need to. Warriors recognized warriors, after all.
"You're heading somewhere safe?" she asked finally, her voice soft but firm. "Where?"
I kept my gaze forward as I replied. "Got a place outside the city. Secure, stocked, and free from the undead. You follow, you live. Your choice."
The group fell into an uneasy silence. I didn't care if they trusted me. Trust was a luxury we didn't have time for. But the reality of the situation was clear. They didn't have many other options.
"Fine," Takashi grunted after a beat. "We'll follow. But we stick together."
I stopped, turning to face him, that smirk still tugging at my lips. "You think you're in charge here, don't you?" I stepped closer, just enough to see him tense. "Let's get one thing straight. You're not."
The tension between us thickened for a moment. Then I turned, earbuds back in, as the beat dropped hard again. "Let's move."
The OG group shuffled behind me, unsure but following. Of course they were. They had no idea what they were in for.
As we walked further down the bridge, I couldn't help but feel the subtle shift in the air. Rei was still stealing glances at me, her eyes betraying her curiosity. Takashi, meanwhile, stayed close to her, his body language screaming insecurity despite his best efforts to appear calm.
Saeko, though, kept her distance but stayed within striking range. I knew she was measuring me, mentally preparing herself. Good. If anyone could keep up, it was her.
In the distance, the city loomed, dark and ominous under the setting sun. The apocalypse had just begun, and these guys were still adjusting. Me? I was already two steps ahead.
.
.
.
.
.
.
As they left off, Kira scanned the exhausted faces of the OG group, his mind busy calculating. A sudden thought flickered through his head as he turned to them, "So… where do you guys want to go next?"
Takashi glanced at Saya, who sighed, pushing up her glasses. "Takagi Estate. It's on the way to outskirts, probably about an hour from here."
Kira hummed casually in response, as if driving through a zombie apocalypse was nothing more than an errand. "Got it. Location?"
Saya raised an eyebrow but answered anyway. "It's near the outer edge of town. We'll need to head west."
Kira hummed again, scanning their surroundings. The high-rise buildings loomed over them like silent sentinels, broken windows and debris littering the streets, a ghostly stillness hanging in the air. The remnants of a once-bustling city now felt like a massive graveyard.
Without further words, Kira approached a parked SUV, examining it briefly. It was perfect for a group their size. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small device from his system store—Universal Key. A blue holographic window popped up in his vision, displaying the item.
---
Universal Key: A+ Effect: Instantly unlocks any mechanical or electronic lock within seconds. No trace left behind.
---
The lock clicked open effortlessly. Kira smirked as the group looked on, oblivious to his method. He slid into the driver's seat and casually motioned for the others to join him. "Hop in."
Saya and Saeko took the front seats, with the others squeezing into the back. Kira's body was still covered in dried blood, his black clothes soaked through. He looked like a ghost of the apocalypse, but he didn't seem to care. A shower, and he'd be as good as new.
He started the car, easing it onto the street. The city was a twisted maze of wrecked vehicles, overturned buses, and the occasional wandering corpse. Kira maneuvered smoothly, his driving skills almost unnervingly precise. His hands moved over the wheel like a professional, swerving past the few stray zombies with ease. The ones he didn't dodge? They were nothing but red smears under the tires.
As the SUV sped down the road, the silence inside thickened. Saya, still tense, began recognizing the streets. Her brow furrowed, and she leaned toward Kira. "Where exactly are you taking us?"
Kira responded only by pressing the gas pedal harder. The car surged forward, tearing down the nearly empty road, narrowly dodging wreckage and the occasional stumbling zombie. The engine's hum was the only sound breaking the quiet, though the weight of the day's events was wearing on the group. Everyone but Saeko seemed on the verge of passing out, their heads lolling from exhaustion. Running for their lives all day had clearly taken its toll.
Kira threw a glance at them from the rearview mirror. Pity crossed his mind. Unlike him, these people had no powers. They didn't have a system, didn't get handy little items from a store or a regeneration boost. All they had was a protagonist halo, which, to Kira, was a ticking time bomb.
Protagonists are walking nukes, he mused. You never know when fate decides to screw them over and—BOOM. Explosion.
He could help them, sure. But in the end, he was just playing the role of the "helpful stranger."
They approached the outskirts quickly, and before they knew it, the fortified walls of the Takagi Estate loomed in the distance. Kira slammed the brakes, pulling the SUV to a smooth stop in front of the gates.
Despite the chaos, his driving had been so seamless that the others barely noticed they had arrived. Eyelids drooped with exhaustion, the group seemed half-conscious, save for Saeko, who remained as alert as ever. Their minds were foggy, their bodies spent from the relentless fight for survival.
Kira stared at the walls of the estate for a moment, his thoughts briefly wandering. They'll be safe for now. But who knows when that protagonist halo will crack?
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A/N : With that thought hanging in the air, the chapter ends here, the SUV idling quietly before the fortified gates.
The stage is set, and now that Kira's laid the groundwork, it's only a matter of time before things start spiraling. How will the dynamics between the group shift now? Stay tuned.