After finishing a small bag of potato chips and washing it down with a bottle of water, Ai Hayasaka quietly cleaned up the room.
She couldn't afford to leave a mess.
Old habits died hard.
She zipped open her backpack and carefully packed what little remained of her supplies.
A half-empty bottle of water.
A small first-aid kit.
A flashlight.
Several snack bars.
A folding knife.
A change of clothes.
That was all she had left after two weeks of surviving alone.
Hayasaka let out a quiet sigh.
"I can't stay here anymore."
She had searched nearly every convenience store, pharmacy, and small supermarket within walking distance.
Each trip yielded less than the last.
The city was running out of supplies.
Soon...
She would be too.
She slung the backpack over one shoulder before taking one last look around the hotel room that had kept her alive for the past fourteen days.
"...Thanks for the shelter."
Then she quietly chuckled.
"Hopefully that person with the Hummer is still somewhere in the city."
Her expression turned thoughtful.
"...Or better yet..."
"...they got ambushed and left the Hummer unattended."
The idea lingered for exactly two seconds before she shook her head.
"No."
"The owner of that vehicle doesn't seem careless enough to let that happen."
Anyone who could modify a Hummer into such a quiet machine clearly knew what they were doing.
She smiled wryly.
"A girl can dream, can't she?"
Instead of using the front entrance, Hayasaka opened a window leading to the building's exterior fire escape.
The metal staircase groaned softly beneath her weight.
Step by step...
She descended carefully.
At the bottom hung the final retractable ladder.
Rather than letting it fall with a loud crash, she slowly lowered it until it touched the ground with barely a sound.
Satisfied, she climbed down the remaining distance.
The empty street greeted her.
No walkers nearby.
No runners in sight.
Good.
Hayasaka immediately headed west.
During the past two weeks, she had memorized the city's quieter streets and back alleys, avoiding the areas where large groups of walkers tended to gather.
If the Hummer's owner had come to Citrus City looking for supplies...
Then the western district was the most likely destination.
There were still several large stores there that hadn't been completely stripped clean.
"I just hope they're still around."
Walking alone through an unfamiliar apocalypse wasn't exactly her idea of a good time.
A vehicle-especially one as capable as that Hummer-could dramatically improve her chances of surviving.
Her blue eyes hardened with determination.
"And if the driver turns out to be dangerous..."
She adjusted the strap of her backpack.
"...I'll defend myself."
She had no intention of becoming another helpless victim in this broken world.
With one last glance around the deserted street, Hayasaka slipped into a narrow alley and continued toward the western side of Citrus City.
Completely unaware that the Hummer she was searching for was parked less than a kilometer away...
...outside a quiet motel where its owner was enjoying a brief respite before setting out once again.
Hayasaka moved through the narrow alleyways of Citrus City with practiced caution.
After two weeks of surviving alone, she had learned the city's streets almost by heart.
She avoided the main roads whenever possible.
Main roads meant abandoned vehicles.
Abandoned vehicles meant obstacles.
And obstacles meant places for runners to hide.
She carefully crossed behind several buildings, keeping her backpack close to her body as she moved.
A pair of fast walkers wandered across the street ahead.
Hayasaka immediately stopped.
She waited.
One runner twitched its head toward a distant noise before continuing down the opposite street.
Only after they were safely away did she continue.
"West..."
She checked her mental map.
"Just keep going."
She reached the next corner and cautiously leaned forward to check the street.
Nothing.
Hayasaka stepped around the corner.
Thump.
She collided with something.
Her eyes widened.
A fast walker stood directly in front of her.
For one terrifying second, they stared at each other.
The infected opened its mouth.
Hayasaka reacted instantly.
"Not today!"
She drove her shoulder into it, knocking the runner off balance and taking it down with her.
The creature struggled beneath her.
Hayasaka immediately pinned it and drove her knife downward into its head.
Once.
Twice.
Three more times.
The runner finally stopped moving.
Hayasaka froze.
She listened.
Nothing.
No answering screams.
No approaching footsteps.
No distant growls.
She slowly exhaled.
"...That was close."
Her heart hammered against her chest.
If the runner had managed to scream before she brought it down, the noise could have attracted every infected within several blocks.
Hayasaka carefully stood.
She looked down at the bloodied knife in her hand.
After a brief hesitation, she wiped the blade against the infected's clothing.
She didn't like doing it.
But leaving blood on the blade would make the handle slippery.
She returned the knife to its sheath.
"One more reason to keep my eyes open."
Hayasaka glanced around the street.
Still clear.
She adjusted her backpack and continued west.
The Hummer was somewhere ahead.
Hopefully, so was its owner.
And hopefully...
That owner wouldn't turn out to be another problem she had to deal with.
Back inside Room 12, Akira stretched his arms above his head.
"All right. We've rested long enough."
He glanced toward the clothes hanging beneath the air conditioner.
"Check your clothes. Are they dry yet?"
Mafuyu and Uruka nodded.
"Let's see..."
The two women walked over to inspect their uniforms.
Akira side eye their clothes and saw mafuyu holding a Red laced Undergarment, He thought to himself 'Nice Taste'
The way their Behind Being amplified by the bathrobe.
He shook his head 'Focus Akira Don't Think with your D#ck'
"Focus you Fucker" He wishper.
Mafuyu checked the sleeves and collar while Uruka squeezed the edge of her shirt.
"Still a little damp," Uruka said.
Akira nodded.
"Give them a few more minutes if you can."
He began cleaning up the portable stove and packing away the cooking equipment.
The small pan went into his bag.
The electric stove was wrapped in a cloth before being placed with the rest of his supplies.
The empty cans were collected.
The paper plates and plastic spoons were disposed of.
Akira glanced toward the window.
He couldn't stay in Citrus City much longer.
According to his map, there was a small gas station near the western exit.
It wasn't much, but if the underground tanks still had usable fuel, he could refill the Hummer before leaving town.
"Gas first."
"Then we're out of here."
Once everything was packed, Akira stepped outside and returned to the Hummer.
When he came back several minutes later, Mafuyu and Uruka had changed back into their original clothes.
Akira immediately noticed both were shivering slightly.
"It wasn't slightly damp aren't they?"
Both nodded.
Akira sighed.
"Yeah, figured."
He looked around the motel room before grabbing the spare bedsheets and quilts.
"You two take these."
He handed them over.
"Grab the pillows too."
"You can use them in the Hummer."
"The quilts will keep you warm until your clothes completely dry."
Mafuyu accepted the bedding.
"Thank you."
Uruka nodded.
"Really... thank you."
"No problem."
Akira picked up the remaining supplies and headed toward the door.
"Let's move before sunset."
The three left Room 12.
Akira locked the motel room behind them before walking toward the Hummer.
The parking lot remained quiet.
No walkers.
No runners.
He opened the doors.
"Get comfortable."
Mafuyu and Uruka climbed into the middle passenger area.
They placed the pillows against the seats and settled in.
Akira handed them the quilts and sheets.
"Cover yourselves."
The two women wrapped themselves up.
Akira climbed into the driver's seat and checked the mirrors.
The Hummer's modified engine started with a subdued hum.
He looked toward the western road.
"There's a gas station not far from here."
"If we're lucky, we can top off the tank."
"And then we're leaving Citrus City."
The Hummer slowly pulled away from the motel.
As they traveled toward the western exit, Mafuyu rested her head against the pillow.
Uruka curled beneath the quilt, finally beginning to relax.
Neither woman knew where they were going next.
Neither knew whether they would ever find a way back home.
But for the moment, they had something neither had possessed when they first arrived in this world.
A vehicle.
Food.
Shelter.
And someone who knew how to survive.
Akira kept his eyes on the road.
"Let's hope that gas station hasn't been picked clean."
The Hummer disappeared down the western road as the afternoon sun began to sink toward the horizon.