“You knew? What do you mean you knew?” [Murray]
“Well, with how you were acting and how we didn’t meet your wife until now, I figured something might be wrong with her.” [Ryner]
“Hey! Watch it! Nothing’s wrong with her!” [Murray]
Murray quickly lost his smile as he pointed at Ryner, his temper rising.
“Okay, no need to get angry. I’m just saying that she looks… Well… Seriously and completely unwell.” [Ryner]
“She’s just sick! Yes, I had to tie her up because she grew violent, but Audrey’s not like those monsters! We just have to feed her good food and let her rest until she gets better! Right, honey? I’ll definitely heal you.” [Murray]
“Raaahh…” [Audrey]
The two-meter-tall man talked to his wife in a soft voice and nodded his head to her eerie groans. He muttered “Uh-huh” as if he understood her. Ryner watched the couple silently while checking the layout of the room.
“Well, sure, maybe she’ll get better in a bit. So can we talk about the virus that made her sic-?” [Ryner]
“Audrey’s hungry again. That’s why she’s cranky right now. Look, Ryner, can you help me feed her?” [Muray]
Murray brusquely interrupted Ryner, but he didn’t mind since he was more preoccupied with his request.
“Huh? Feed her? I have one last can of cat food, though I recommend the beans instead.” [Ryner]
“Not that crap! Just, go to the morgue and get a body!” [Murray]
The large man exasperatedly gave instructions and waved his hand, telling his guest to hurry.
“A body? Like a human body of the people you supposedly killed?” [Ryner]
“YES! JUST, GO, GET, A BODY! I chopped them up and packed them in bags! Grab one and come here!” [Murray]
“THAT’S what you meant when you said we’ll feed her good food?” [Ryner]
“YES! Why else would I have a morgue in my house?! Audrey can’t eat anything but good food to recover! Now will you help me or not?! She’s waiting!” [Murray]
Murray asked, his voice rising in anger to which Ryner stared at him quizzically and tilted his head.
“Fine, I’ll get one corpse and wait outside while you feed her.” [Ryner]
“The hell are you saying?! Obviously you have to help me feed her too!” [Murray]
“Huh? Seriously?” [Ryner]
“Yes, damnit!!” [Murray]
“Alright, alright, relax. Just, you’re sure you can’t do it yourself? Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that you haven’t given up on your wife even after she turned into a zombie, bu-.” [Ryner]
“SHE’S NOT A ZOMBIE!!!” [Murray]
The reddish orange-haired man suddenly bellowed and rose to his feet.
“Why? Why, why, why why WHY?! You’re saying the same thing as THEM!! AS ALL OF THEM!!” [Murray]
“(Ah, I think I stepped on a landmine.)” [Ryner]
Ryner thought as he watched Murray’s face turn red and twist in anger, his brows furrowing and his teeth gnashing.
“I invited you into my house! Introduced you to Audrey! And This… IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?!!” [Murray]
He grabbed his head and looked down.
“MY WIFE IS SICK!! SO WHY?! WHY WON’T ANYONE OF YOU EVER HELP ME?!!” [Murray]
The husband screamed, his voice containing fury, grief and despair. While pulling at his hair, he truly looked like he didn’t understand why his guest would refuse his small request. It was for the sake of his wife. There should be no reason to refuse.
“Hey now, if you don’t want me here, then I’m gone.” [Ryner]
He was told something, but it mattered not. The only one that he could trust, the only one that he could hear, was Audrey.
“Raaah… Graaaahhh…” [Audrey]
And she had been speaking to him all along.
“… Yeah… Yeah… You’re right.” [Murray]
Murray muttered, suddenly becoming calm and quiet.
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“This is just… Business as usual… It’s… God’s guidance…” [Murray]
He crouched down and grabbed his sledgehammer.
“Hey, Murray, calm down.” [Ryner]
He slowly rose to his feet, towering over Ryner, while holding his weapon with both hands. Looking into his bloodshot eyes and sensing actual bloodlust, Ryner used his precaution.
“Seriously, calm down.” [Ryner]
He moved his right hand behind his back and pulled out a small, black revolver that he had stuffed in his pants with the grip sticking out.
“I don’t want to fight.” [Ryner]
Ryner said while keeping the Model 85 gun beside him, aimed at the floor. It was a warning. However, Murray didn’t flinch. He was undeterred. In fact, he didn’t react to the firearm at all.
“Audrey has already told me what to do…” [Murray]
The loving husband lifted his sledgehammer.
“Audrey is always there for me…” [Murray]
“Murray, Audrey can’t talk. It’s all in your hea-.” [Ryner]
“FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU!! THE GOD OF DEATH WILL CLAIM YOUR LIFE!!!” [Murray]
Murray charged at Ryner with great speed unbefitting his large physique and swung his weapon horizontally. Ryner ducked, quickly jumped back and pointed his gun at him. However, his opponent didn’t stop and swung his sledgehammer down on him.
“At least react a bit!” [Ryner]
Ryner dodged to the side and ran to the dining table. With a loud crash, the floor that he stood on a second ago was heavily damaged.
“Look, Murray, let’s just talk! You’re the first living human I’ve met and possibly the only one left, so I want to hear more about the outbreak from you, even if you’re crazy.” [Ryner]
“I! AM NOT!! CRAZY!!!” [Murray]
“Crap, was that another landmine?” [Ryner]
Murray charged at him like a berserker and swung his hammer down. Ryner moved out of the way and the table behind him was smashed in half. The flashlight that was placed on top was sent flying.
“Brat, I seriously, just, want to talk!” [Ryner]
Ryner said while dodging a flurry of attacks, agilely moving around the room. He ducked and the television next to him was destroyed. He leaned his body out of the way and the steel head of the hammer flew passed his eyes. He stepped to the side with quick and nimble footwork and the walls got holes punched in them. Though each strike was powerful, they weren’t fast enough for him.
“HOLD!! STILL!!!” [Murray]
Murray grew more and more infuriated the longer the fight went on since he couldn’t land a hit. To make matters worse, his enemy hadn’t broken a sweat while he was panting from exhaustion. As a result, he failed to keep track of his surroundings.
“Would you stop and look where we are?! you’ll get Aud-!” [Ryner]
“DIIIE!!!” [Murray]
Murray swung his hammer down with all his might, not heeding what his foe was saying. Once more, Ryner dodged to the side. The next moment, a head exploded.
“… Huh?” [Murray]
Before he realized, he was standing in front of his wife’s bed, covered in blood.
“… Audrey…?” [Murray]
Murray called out to Audrey, but she was no longer moving or speaking. Her head had been utterly smashed by his hammer like a tomato. The bone was pulverized. There was a huge red stain on the pillow and blood splattered everywhere. When he lifted his sledgehammer drenched in crimson, blood and brain matter dripped down.
“… A-ah… Oh god…!” [Murray]
A moment later, Murray broke down.
“Ahhhh…! Ahhhhh…! AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!” [Murray]
The reddish orange-haired man screamed and shed big tears, quickly becoming a sobbing mess.
“AUDREEY!! AUDREEEYY!!! GOD, NOOOOO!!!” [Murray]
He uncontrollably wailed as he kneeled beside his wife’s corpse and called out her name. Like a child, he cried, forgetting everything around him.
Until he heard a loathsome voice.
“You were supposed to stop.” [Ryner]
Ryner said, standing several feet behind him, not minding his grief. Hearing him speak in a matter-of-fact tone, Murray’s sobs gradually died down. Then, he slowly stood up, turned around and took a few steps forward.
“… You…!” [Murray]
Though his crying had ended, it was replaced by low growls similar to an animal. His face, covered in tears and in his wife’s blood, distorted into that of an enraged demon’s.
“This is your fault…!” [Murray]
Murray raised his sledgehammer overhead using both hands.
“Brat, I’m warning you. Keep trying to kill me and I’ll judge you too far gone.” [Ryner]
Ryner said, his voice no longer sounding carefree and instead contained a certain edge, but it fell on deaf ears.
“THIS! IS! YOUURR!! FAAAUULLT!!!” [Murray]
Murray roared madly and just as he was about to bring his judgement down on his hateful foe, Ryner moved first. Closing the distance between them, he thrust his left hand out, his fingers straight like knives.
“Ack!” [Murray]
He struck Murray’s throat, causing him to stop as he choked. The two-meter-tall man let go of his hammer, which dropped behind him. He covered his throat with his hands and fell on one knee. Coughing, wheezing, groaning in agony, Murray tried to catch his breath and endure the pain. When he looked in front of him through his shaky vision, he realized that Ryner had disappeared.
Without him noticing, his enemy had quickly moved behind him and picked up the sledgehammer. Then, holding it in his left hand, he mercilessly swung it at the back of his head. The sound of bone breaking could be heard. Murray fell forward, his face slamming into the floor. His eyes were wide opened and lifeless. Upon the owner’s passing, the apartment fell silent.
The room had been devastated by the duel. The television was smashed to pieces, the table was broken in two and the walls and floors had holes in them. Ryner looked down on Murray’s motionless body, examined his surroundings, and walked to the dented couch before sitting down. He placed the revolver and hammer next to him, leaned his head backward and sighed.
“… Well, crap. That could have gone better.” [Ryner]
He muttered tiredly.
“Killed the first living human you met on your first meeting during a zombie outbreak. Nice job…” [Ryner]
Ryner sarcastically told himself, but after a few seconds of staring at the ceiling, he stood up. He did not plan on resting there. He picked up Murray and carefully laid his large body on the bed next to his wife. Then, he covered his eyes with his hand and closed them.
“You probably don’t want me here, so I’ll be going now.” [Ryner]
Ryner said to the unmoving man, turned around and walked away. He retrieved his pistol on the couch and found the flashlight still intact on the floor. He picked it up, turned off the floor lamp and exited the room. However, when he was fiddling with the flashlight to check if it still worked without issue, he turned it on and lit up a circular area of the wall in front of him.
“… Mmm?” [Ryner]
The walls in the corridors had a bunch of messages written in black. At the corner, in front of Murray’s and Audrey’s apartment was a particular message that Ryner had not noticed.
DON’T LET THEM SEE YOU AT NIGHT!
Unlike the others, it was painted in vivid red like blood.
“… Who’s ‘Them’?” [Ryner]
----------------------------------------
Item of interest
Portable generator:
* Gas-powered engine used to generate electricity.
* Can be moved to different locations.
* Generates noise. Use with caution.