The mall used for evacuation shelter was located three kilometers away from the mansion, requiring us to walk a long distance before we arrived at our destination. It wasn't impossible to reach it, considering zombies only reacted to sound.
Still, it wasn't something you could do everyday.
"What are we going to do, brother?" Saeko asked. "Scavenging the store, rescuing people, or doing something else?"
"Our priority is to get medicine, ropes, or speakers so I can create an alarm trap. Anything else is just extra," I answered without breaking my stride.
Ropes sounded like something useless in a zombie apocalypse, but they would actually be extremely helpful. In a normal society, rope was indispensable because it enabled us to secure items in place. Without it, anything we tied down might come loose if we weren't careful enough.
Not only that, since we were going to the countryside, we had to set as many alarms as possible using speakers.
A few days ago, I triggered the alarm by shooting it. But if we had a rope long enough to wrap around the speaker and tied it down securely, even small movements would trigger it.
Not only that, we could also tie the can to ropes and circled the area with it to create an improvised defense mechanism. If there was a horde of zombies approaching, I could just pull the rope to create a loud noise.
As I explained these things to Saeko, she nodded understandingly.
"Then we should get some fireworks too, no?" She suggested after thinking for a few minutes.
"They are everywhere and could help us in creating distractions. Some toys like mini electric cars may be useful too, since we could attach it with speakers and let them drive around aimlessly to attract attention."
Fireworks.
Right, I forgot about them. It was a great idea to bring fireworks along because of how loud and flashy they were. I agreed with her suggestion wholeheartedly and decided to prioritize getting fireworks on top of everything in my list.
We chatted leisurely while walking, evading the area crowded by zombies and keeping an eye out for potential dangers around us.
As we reached our destination, I observed the surrounding area first.
This mall was located inside a large building with four levels and a basement parking garage. Right now, barricades had been erected around the entrances leading inside the building. There was a single police officer who looked dead tired guarding it.
Around 50 survivors were camped around the mall, forming a perimeter around the main entrance to prevent zombies from approaching it. They looked haggard and desperate, as they carried improvised weapons ranging from sticks to crowbars to defend themselves against incoming undead threats.
Seeing this sight alone gave me goosebumps.
"This is one of the evacuation centers in Tokonosu City?" I exclaimed in surprise.
I mean, Takagi Estate looked way better than this hellhole!
"So, brother, what are we doing? Are we going to enter?" Saeko inquired excitedly.
The zombies weren't the only threat. There might be paranoid people with less than honorable intentions loitering around and ready to rob or kidnap us if given a chance.
I shook my head.
This wasn't worth the risk.
Initially, I thought of going inside and acting friendly with survivors, but the problem would arise soon enough if the evacuation center looked like this. Instead of being friendly, all they would do upon seeing our weapons would be attacking us.
Nothing was scarier than paranoid people. They would think we didn't have the guts to shoot or hurt them and thus try to take advantage of us. Once we were surrounded by a mob of survivors, we wouldn't be able to fight back at all.
Our movement became limited and thus created weakness in our formation, giving chances for people to disarm us without even needing guns or blades.
In short, they would swarm us with numbers and try to steal our weapons and supplies.
Worse, even though they wouldn't attack Saeko outright, she would still be vulnerable to groping and harassment from those people.
Who knows whether some pervert would have their fun while hiding among crowds.
"This is hell."
Once I saw this situation, I decided to abandon any hope towards the rescue team sent by the Japan Self-Defense Force to evacuate survivors. I mean, these guys barely survived as they are. Even if the JSDF showed up and rescued them, I doubt all of them would survive until the end. Not everyone had luck like Takashi, or even strength like me or Saeko.
So, it was better not to take unnecessary risks.
"Let's go to a nearby convenience store instead. We can take the speaker and get whatever stuff available there," I said, patting Saeko's shoulder gently before guiding her away from the area.
I knew the area around here pretty well so we found the convenience store we wanted in less than twenty minutes.
After checking thoroughly and getting closer to the store, I noticed a sound coming from inside. Looking through the windows, I saw a small group of survivors staying inside.
They wore dirty clothes and carried improvised weapons such as kitchen knives or makeshift spears. Two adults, two middle aged men, were sitting near the counter while chatting animatedly about something.
Another man stood guard beside the door, armed with a broomstick he held like a spear.
"Brother, look in front of those men." Saeko whispered while pointing her finger at the girl laying down on the floor.
I observed carefully and indeed, the girl, who was surprisingly wearing a police outfit, laid unconscious and curled up into balls next to the men.
Based on her clothes, the men probably hadn't done anything bad to her. The uniform was dirty and wrinkled, but from the fact everything was still buttoned and untouched, I guessed she probably fainted due to extreme fatigue.
Her light brown hair covered most of her face, but I could tell she was young, maybe around early twenties, and beautiful despite being dirtied by dust and mud. Her plump breasts were clearly visible beneath her uniform shirt, pressing against its fabric as she breathed regularly.
"That's..."
The police officer that the protagonist group met at the mall, right?
***
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