Right, so, our final destination was the special district in Alberta, where the regional lord’s castle was located.
We still had to pass through two more major points to get there.
I tried to piece together the details I remembered from the original novel. If nothing had changed too drastically, the next town should be a zombie-infested hellscape with almost no survivors.
After that, we’d have to cross a mountain or cut through a forest.
“Seriously? We still have ages to go?”
The road ahead was ridiculously long. Of course I had to get plopped into the story right at the very beginning.
Just my luck to get saddled with all the hard parts.
I laced my fingers together, propped them behind my head, and let out a huge sigh.
Unless we found a solution, the situation would only get worse, which meant things would get that much harder for Yoan.
“Well, nothing for it… Guess I’ll just have to step up and help more.”
First things first: find that doctor I saw in my vision and confirm if she was the antibody carrier.
Creeeak.
“Hm?”
The sound of a door opening pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned my head and saw Yoan.
He was just standing there in the darkness, hand on the doorknob. Then he stumbled toward the kitchen.
Right. People get thirsty after drinking too much.
No point waking him up just to have a chat, so I stayed put.
But then the footsteps coming from the kitchen seemed to get closer and closer to me.
He padded over, stopped, and then—without any warning—he just… wedged himself into the empty spot right next to me on the sofa-turned-bed.
“Ehh?”
I scrambled backward, bewildered. The sofa was pushed right up against the wall, so there was nowhere else for me to go.
“Yoan. This isn’t your room,” I said, my back pressed flat against the cold wall.
He must have been so out of it from the alcohol and sleep that he’d mistaken my spot for his own.
“Hah,” he breathed out, his hands fumbling around as if searching for a blanket.
“I’m telling you, this is the living room.”
I tried again, but either he couldn’t hear me or he was ignoring me, because he just kept patting around for the covers.
Smack.
I finally lost my patience and slapped his wandering hand. I tried to pull the punch, but who knew if it was still too hard?
“Ow,” Yoan mumbled. Then he suddenly grabbed my wrist. “Ah, there you are.”
“Wh-what!”
And with that, he pulled.
Caught completely off guard, I tumbled right into his big, warm chest.
My first instinct was to kick him off me, but I stopped myself. My strength wasn’t always something I could control.
If I kicked him wrong and broke a bone, it would be a total disaster.
Oblivious to my internal crisis, Yoan wriggled around to get comfortable, pulled me in tighter, and planted a kiss in my hair.
“Wh-what are you doing? Are you insane?”
“Sasha.”
“Y-yeah?”
“My sweet, good Sasha.”
“Are you drunk or just crazy?”
“My silly Sasha, always so loyal.”
Okay… now I was pretty sure he wasn’t talking to me, but to that puppy he used to have.
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”
I stayed quiet, nestled in his arms, just breathing.
For some reason, it felt like I was meeting a much younger version of Yoan, one I’d never seen before, and I couldn’t help but listen.
“So just stay by my side.”
I knew those words weren’t for me… yet I felt like I had to respond.
“…Okay. I’m not going anywhere.”
I moved my hand to his back and stroked it as gently as if I were smoothing down a feather.
“Sleep well. Sweet dreams.”
Instead of answering, he let out a low chuckle and rubbed his cheek against the top of my head.
***
“...Well, then.”
My plan had been to wake Yoan up at an appropriate time and send him back to bed, but of course Rob had to wake up earlier than expected and catch us in a rather compromising position.
Rob just stood there, cup in hand, looking completely stunned. He shook his head and retreated back into his room.
I was already tired just thinking about how much he was going to tease me for this later.
“Yoan. Wake up,” I said, tapping the arm wrapped firmly around my waist.
He didn’t so much as twitch, even after I called his name a few more times.
It wasn’t until I balled up my hand and gave him a solid punch that his eyes shot open.
“Ow. Why’d you hit a sleeping person?”
“You can see what’s going on and you’re still asking that?”
“I said that hurt.”
“Uh, um. I don’t think I hit you that hard.”
“Are you trying to give me a bruise?”
“W-was it that bad? Let me see.”
“Why are you lifting my shirt? You little perv.”
“What? No, I’m not! You said you were hurt!”
He completely ignored me, got up, and stretched his arms out wide.
“That man… I swear.”
I was trembling with annoyance, positive I’d been played, when the doors opened and people started trickling into the living room one by one.
Rob slipped into the group, looking completely nonchalant, and shot me a smug grin. I pointedly avoided his gaze and went to say hi to Derek instead.
After a light breakfast, we got ready for another patrol. Everyone looked much more refreshed after a full day of rest.
Yoan hit things off with a sudden announcement.
“You want us to find a doctor?” Rob asked, looking puzzled.
“Well, I guess having a doctor in the group wouldn’t be a bad thing,” he added.
“That’s true. Someone could get sick or injured,” Kira chimed in.
“Ah, right,” Grandpa Jeremy agreed. Rob quickly nodded along, convinced by their logic.
“More importantly,” Yoan continued, “we need to find the antibody carrier who can solve this whole mess. A doctor seems like the most accessible person to start with. It was Sasha’s idea, and I agree with her.”
“Oh, Sasha thought of that? You’re pretty sharp.” Rob reached out to pat my head, but I recoiled with a look of disgust.
“I heard from some survivors we ran into yesterday that there’s a highly skilled doctor in this town. A woman. Tall, pale skin, red hair. I don’t know her name,” Yoan explained, spinning the information I’d given him so naturally it sounded like he’d really heard it from someone else.
“That description is a little generic. Any other features?”
“They said she’s a beauty.”
“Oh, a beauty, you say?” Rob replied playfully. “Well, in that case, she’ll be impossible to miss.”
“Finding this doctor is our top priority. Other than that, we’ll focus on gathering intel on the town and securing more food. Any questions?”
“None, sir.”
“Good. Let’s head out.”
Yoan and I were a team again. Thank God. It meant I could lead us in the right direction without a complicated explanation.
“Sasha, it feels like we’re heading further and further out to the edge of town. Is that just my imagination?”
I could understand his confusion. The outskirts were crawling with zombies, and I didn’t get why she’d be hiding out here either.
But I was certain the place I saw in my vision wasn’t in the town center.
“You’re the leader, Yoan. It makes sense for you to check the places other people wouldn’t go.”
“Hmm, that’s strangely persuasive.”
He didn’t press any further.
Still, it would be a lot easier if I knew her exact location.
If you’re gonna throw me into this mess, at least give me a solid lead! Why am I only getting these tiny little breadcrumbs?
I’m the kind of person who wants all the reward with none of the work!
While I was busy grumbling to myself, a zombie lumbered into view.
Graaahk!
I was so riled up, I shrieked right back without thinking.
“Gahhh!”
Grk?
The zombie actually flinched.
In that split second, Yoan’s sword swung in a clean arc and sent the thing’s head flying.
I clicked my tongue, disappointed. “Aww, you should’ve left it for me.”
“You’re afraid of zombies.”
“I am, but I kind of wanted to blow off some steam.”
Hearing that, Yoan gave me a strange look as he flicked the blood off his sword.
“You relieve stress by killing zombies? That’s a pretty intense coping mechanism. Sasha, you’ve changed, you know?”
“I have?”
“Be careful. What are you going to do if you turn into a real zombie?”
“I am a real zombie.”
“You’re a special zombie,” he said, smirking as he patted my head. “Ah, here come more.”
“You’re right. They must have heard the noise.”
Whatever the case, our first priority was dealing with the horde swarming toward us.
Kerrrrk!
Kehk, kehk!
I let out my own guttural shriek and tore the arm off an attacking zombie.
Changed? I’ve probably just gotten used to the situation.
People are creatures of habit, after all. The first time is always the hardest, but you get used to anything over time.
I didn’t think much of Yoan’s comment.
“Aah!”
Just then, a sharp woman’s scream echoed from not too far away.
Yoan and I exchanged a look, and I immediately bolted in the direction of the sound.
“Yoan, over there!”
He stopped and aimed his gun where my finger was pointing.
BANG!
A bullet spun through the air and neatly blew off the wrist of the zombie grabbing the woman. A second shot hit it in the neck, and it staggered backward.
I didn’t miss my chance. I rushed forward, tackled the thing to the ground, and stomped on its neck.
A sickening crack echoed as its neck bone snapped. The zombie twitched for a moment before going completely still.
Meanwhile, Yoan approached the trembling woman. “Hey. Are you alright?”
“…Huh?”
She was sitting down, so I couldn’t tell how tall she was, but her skin was ghostly pale, a stark contrast to the cascade of red hair tumbling down to her waist.
She looked exactly like the woman we were looking for.