[Chapter Seven]

She felt sleepy. Her eyelids were so heavy that it feels like she won't be able to stay conscious any longer. She was sitting down and the glass was conveniently small in its width that she could lean on it. Her hand was slightly drooping down as she fought against her sleepiness. Minori kept the necklace dangling while he patiently stayed standing in front of her.

She blinked a couple of times before she was completely unconscious. Minori brought his hand down, the dosage was a bit higher so it was good that the specimen had finally closed its eyes. He breathes a sigh of relief and finally decided to keep the strange necklace.

Minori took a mouth guard from one of the bags at the corner, he opened the container again. This time he forces the mouth guard into her mouth. Extra precautions, there's still a chance she'll turn against us if we left her with her teeth. If there are no wounds, then we'll be able to take her back to the safe zone. He knew taking the undead's teeth would be painstakingly long and he didn't have enough time to pull it all out.

"Bound it all up and we'll carry it using a sack. Hurry it up we leave at first light tomorrow", Minori said after getting out of the tent to the other low-ranking soldiers that were guarding the entrance. He started moving towards the decontamination chamber. He discarded his surgical gloves at the side taking note to burn it all after they leave. His clothes were off by the time that he reached the shower phase of the chamber. New clothes were placed at the end so he didn't worry about his attire at all. His stomach let out a loud rumble, he could eat yet before he went in to prepare the equipment for the procedure. Water droplets rolled down his skin as the warmness of the water calmed his mind, forcing him to halt his thought process and be done with decontamination his body before eating his very late dinner.

The animals around them started to wake up slowly and those that were nocturnal rushed to their homes getting ready to sleep as the sun was nearly rising in the sky. There was no peace during the nighttime since the place was filled with wild animals, the place was full of strange noises made by bugs and other things. The soldiers took their turns in keeping watch, their boots creating a dull thud as it connects with the earth all night.

The tents were uniformly being fixed and kept back in their cards. Major Isao and his company took the long road back to the safe zone, with how the base across the lake was already taken down. They could only take a long way; their hearts were not heavy despite the arrangement. Some soldiers walked beside the jeep, their weapons ready and fully loaded; the magazines for their bullets hang heavily on their shoulders. High ranking soldiers rose the jeep while Minori was arranged to be seated on the jeep where the specimen was thrown into by Atsushi. He glanced tiredly at the undead forced into a sack, tied and carelessly thrown at the other corner. They had set off for their journey.

The jeeps were a bit older, the usual purr of the engine had started sounding a bit off. It wasn’t long before the driver and everyone else felt that there was something wrong with the one they were on. The engine was having difficulty with how old and how much it was used. Smoke started at the front, the driver quickly turned the engine by turning the key and quickly jumping off the jeep as the others also quickly took off. They rushed away as the other jeeps were driven hastily away with men running in pursuit.

Boom...

Boom...

Boom...

It didn’t take long before the jeep exploded taking with it the men that were not able to move away. The fire quickly consumed most of what was left and became scattered messily around. The flames cackled evilly as they were momentarily overwhelmed with the voice of burning men and the smell of burnt flesh, hair, clothes, and gunpowder. Major Isao, stood up in utter astonishment. He looked at the remaining men and those that were injured. He got off his vehicle and checked the status of his team.

“Get the injured on the jeep, we can’t delay now. Those walking corpses will be attracted to the sound and smell.” He flicked his arm as his abled men hurried to lift those with great wounds. Those that were gasping harshly and in critical condition were gunned down. “Shoot the dying.” The major added passively. No mercy was shown and it didn’t take long for corpses to litter and the metallic stench of blood to overcome everyone’s senses.

“Move.” The major said only one word, his men jumped on the jeep and tended to their wounded whilst they were moving. The number of men had greatly decreased, he scanned the face of the remaining soldiers. There was no emotion of loss and sympathy to be seen, they were all bred for war and death was a constant friend they all have in common. No one was walking in the end since the remaining jeeps are able enough to accommodate the remaining living men. This time the pace of their travels was much faster.

When night came, they did not dare set a camp to rest in, they traveled nonstop as the undead move quite quickly for corpses with stiffened muscles. The morale of the soldiers was not high anymore, they were all tired and beaten from past events. The only thing that kept them all going was the thought of the people awaiting their return and the specimen they have with them. Minori and others who were not used to so much bloodshed had shaken hands and unstable balance. Their stomach grumbled in protest and cold sweat drenched their backs, their face remaining pale all throughout the days.

After a week and four days, they finally saw the high walls of the safe zone. Dreading and at the same time looking forward to being able to pass the border and take a few days of rest before they are to be called again for another mission. This was the longest and hardest work they have taken upon themselves.

The tall walls of the safe zone were praised greatly by the people when they first arrived in this place. Sadly, those praises were only pointing to a hopeful future and the daydreams of the people. The streets were littered with beggars and thieves, those who hold power were able to live comfortably while the poor became poorer and had no place to go nor food to satisfy their hunger. Death comes along as often as it was before. People without money, when they die, are gathered before thrown outside. Their corpses are left to decay or be eaten while the rich can hold funerals. The streets were dirty and a foul stench can be smelled a meter radius away. The drainage system has long failed, water overflows during the rainy seasons carrying the trash that was thrown just about everywhere. When they traveled nearer to the middle of the town, the conditions seemed so much better. The placement of the people depended on their contribution or the money they have or earn. Soldiers lived near the slums, the living condition was much better as there are houses to live in and warm food to eat although lesser in amount. Some of the soldiers would wave at their family members when they passed by them and saluted when other people would salute them. People started crowding the streets in order to welcome and see whether their family who was taken as soldiers have returned.

The soldiers felt uneasy holding on to the name tags from those whose owners they were able to reach before their death. The three jeeps that carried both injured and uninjured soldiers quickly went to the military hospital to receive treatment. Allan, an acquaintance of Minori working as a medical doctor at the place had made a nurse gather the name tags so the tags could be returned to the family of the deceased. No one talked about what happened during their journey. Those who held lower ranks were made to surrender their guns and were the first to take medical help, second to the injured men. Major Isao watched the commotion unfold before him, men were being rushed and transferred into a stretcher and carried off into the building. The white uniforms of medical personnel had splashes of blood but it did not deter them in the face of emergency and their sworn oath.