I was in big trouble. Where on earth was I?
Panicked, I glanced around. The thing is, I have a truly terrible sense of direction. It wasn’t as if I’d forgotten about that little detail when I decided to go out and cause a bit of trouble on purpose.
Straight, right, right, straight, right, right… wasn’t that it?
I’d thought I was so clever, picking a simple route and morizing it perfectly. Turns out, I was catastrophically wrong.
My excellent eyesight, by the way, was proving entirely useless. I’d been so careful not to even look left. Where did I ss up?
And of course, all the buildings look exactly the sa.
Ducking into an alley, I faced a serious crisis. I had to get back. Fast.
And that was when it happened.
“...!”
Suddenly, a window creaked open right behind . I dropped into a crouch, lting into the shadows.
It’s fine. It’s dark, and I didn’t make a peep.
I held my breath, waiting for the window to close, but it remained stubbornly quiet.
What was that? Soone just airing out their room? Gah!
Without really thinking, I tilted my head up to check and nearly scread.
Soone was leaning on the windowsill, arms folded, staring down at without a sound.
Oh, hell! Forget ghosts… People are way scarier!
“What are you doing out here?”
The person spoke. The voice was familiar.
For a second, my mind went completely blank with shock, but when I looked closer, I realized it was Zenon.
I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved to see a familiar face.
“Oh, hello. Um, well, I just stepped out for a little walk and… got lost.”
“During curfew?”
“Oh, is there a curfew?”
We were inside the walls, not out where the zombies road, so I was a little bewildered when I asked.
Zenon replied with that signature bored expression of his. “Are your quarters nearby?”
“That is… I’m not sure.”
“Doesn’t sound like it.”
I hadn’t stopped moving since leaving my quarters a while ago, so I figured I must have walked a pretty long way.
Zenon just stared at , saying nothing. I gave an awkward little laugh and stood up.
“Sorry to bother you. I’ll be on my way now.”
“But you said you were lost.”
“Well, I’m still inside the fortress. I’m sure I’ll find my way back sohow.”
“It’ll be a pain if the patrol catches you.”
“I’ll just have to be careful not to get caught.”
“Step back for a mont.”
“Huh? Okay.”
I had no idea what he was planning, but I did as he said and took a couple of steps back. Zenon grabbed the windowsill and vaulted over it with a light, fluid movent.
“Do you at least rember the general area your quarters are in?”
“Why…? Are you going to walk back? It’s fine, really. I can manage.”
“Isn’t this usually the part where one accepts the other person’s help?”
“But you just said it was curfew. What if you get tangled up in this because of ? Besides, do you not live with anyone else?”
“You’re worried about ?”
This conversation felt like we were talking in circles.
I didn’t get why Zenon was so insistent on taking back, especially after I’d refused. He didn’t seem like the type to go out of his way for others. What was his angle?
“Standing around here is a waste of ti. Let’s go.”
He didn’t wait for my answer, just started walking with a decisive stride.
Zenon asked about the path I’d taken and the buildings I’d passed. I did my best to describe everything. Freakishly good at understanding my garbled directions, he said he had a rough idea of where I needed to go and then led the way.
“Well, at least the streets are empty,” I said, feeling a tiny bit of relief. “That’s a plus.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. Don’t let your guard down. There are eyes everywhere.”
“R-really?”
I’d been trailing behind him, but now I casually shuffled over to walk right beside him.
He gave a nonchalant glance and then spoke in a low voice only I could hear. “There’s going to be a drawing in two days. Being new here doesn’t make you an exception.”
“What kind of drawing?”
“Every three days, a group goes out to scavenge for food. They’re people who can handle themselves against zombies, for the most part. But you always need insurance.”
I chewed on Zenon’s cryptic words for a mont, then voiced the thought that popped into my head. “You an people to use as bait?”
“Sothing like that.”
Right. I rembered overhearing a conversation about this at the entrance. The realization that it was happening in just two days made my stomach clench.
“There’s no telling who’ll be chosen, so you should be prepared. It could be your husband, or even your child.”
“They draw children, too?”
“If necessary.”
These people were so much worse than I thought. Utter trash.
My hands balled into fists without even realizing it.
“This way.”
How did Zenon know his way around so well, anyway? “Have you been in the fortress long, Zenon?”
“You could say that. I ca in near the very beginning.”
“Ah, so that’s how you know all the streets.”
“Yes. And I co out often.”
“Are you allowed to? Isn’t it dangerous if you get caught?”
“I’ve never been caught.”
“If you don’t mind asking, what did you do before you ca here….”
“Sasha.”
“Yes?”
“We seem to have only been talking about . Allow to ask you sothing.”
“Oh, sorry. I won’t ask any more questions.”
“Too late.”
I tried to draw the line, realizing my mistake, but Zenon wasn’t one to be easily deterred.
Okay, if he asks sothing difficult, just lie through your teeth.
“Sasha. Are you a zombie?”
“What? Excuse ? What kind of question is that? Do I look like a zombie to you? Wow, that is super rude.”
“Judging by that reaction, the answer is yes.”
“I said no! Have you ever seen a zombie this put-together and pretty?”
“I can’t speak to the ‘pretty’ part, but it’s fascinating that you can communicate.”
“I’m s-seriously not one,” I protested, my voice on the verge of tears.
But Zenon ignored and continued in that sa, calm tone. “You don’t seem hostile, so I’ll hold off on reporting you for now. And for the record, your act was quite convincing. I’m just very observant.”
“But I’m not… I’m not a zombie….”
Who the hell was this guy? I thought he was just so skinny kid who did odd jobs in the kitchen, but was he secretly the mastermind behind everything? The big bad, or sothing?
His utter calm after realizing I was a zombie was far from normal. Could he be the boss, Luther? Or the puppet guild master? He didn’t fit the description Derek gave of their enforcer.
While my brain was spinning, I heard the distant rumble of wheels.
A choked growl was followed by a sharp gag.
“Argh, I told you to gag him properly!”
“I did! This one’s just too damn strong.”
“Shh! Keep your voice down! You might as well announce to the whole fortress that we’re delivering zombies.”
Hmm?
The conversation piqued my interest, and I perked up my ears.
“Ugh, this is a tough way to make a living. What the hell do they even do with these things?”
“Stay out of it. We just do what we’re told.”
Interesting. It sounded like they were catching zombies on soone’s orders.
“Soone’s coming,” Zenon said, belatedly noticing their approach. He grabbed and pulled into a narrow gap between two buildings.
“Oof.”
It was tight. The sudden move left us pressed right up against each other, face-to-face. I did my best to avoid his gaze, focusing on the street outside.
A few zombies were being dragged past. Most were completely out of it, and the one that showed any sign of awareness was so tightly bound it couldn’t move a muscle.
“Where do you think they’re taking those zombies?” I asked.
“You don’t seem very surprised.”
“...Excuse for asking, but has anyone ever told you that you lack social skills?”
“Yes.”
Well, thank goodness for that. At least he was self-aware.
“Is that because you’re a zombie?” He followed up on his question.
“For the last ti, I am not.”
“There’s no need to hide what’s already been revealed.”
“Maybe. But there’s no reason for to confirm it. Imagine whatever you like.”
“You have a way with words.”
“I spend a lot of ti with soone who’s good with them.”
“Ah, your husband?”
“Yes.”
“Speaking of which, there he is now.”
“What?”
What on earth was he talking about? I lifted my head to see that Zenon’s gaze wasn’t on , but on sothing down the street.
A sense of dread washed over as I forced myself to turn my head, though every instinct scread not to.
“Ah.”
Like I said, the scariest things aren’t ghosts, but people.
The mont my eyes t Yoan’s, my blood ran cold. He was radiating the kind of aura you’d expect from the Grim Reaper himself…
“Hey,” I whispered desperately to Zenon. “You need to help explain that this is a misunderstanding.”
“What’s there to explain? We haven’t done anything.”
“I know, that’s the point!”
“Co to think of it, he’s not your real husband anyway, is he? Since you’re a zombie.”
“You little—”
A surge of anger made clench my fists, but I had to hold back. At least until I figured out what Zenon’s deal was. No way was he just so random Resident Number One.
Besides, clearing up this ss with Yoan was the top priority.
“Okay, just… move aside a little.”
Zenon shifted slightly, creating a gap. I scrambled out of the alley and flashed Yoan a wobbly smile.
“H-Hubby. Did you co looking for ? The thing is, I was just… huh?”
Ignoring my words, Yoan strode closer and tilted his head, glaring behind .
“Honey. Were you cheating on ?”
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