Marauder of the Apocalypse-Chapter 53: Education

I looked at the photos again.

Images of the virus generator zombie forcefully stuffing plastic trash and wadded tissues into someone's mouth. Like returning the same torture it had endured.

'It seems to be taking revenge, doing exactly what I did when I tied it up and what the children did stuffing trash in its mouth.'

Something about it reminded me of when I imprisoned and killed the neighbor who reported me. This zombie felt familiar. Of course it would seek revenge after what was done to it. It had learned well while tied up.

As I studied the photos with interest, the children's mother suddenly snatched her phone back. After checking the messages and photos, her eyes widened and her hands trembled.

"This, this zombie."

"It learned..."

The man came over to look at the photos and frowned. Now that a zombie who had learned from life in the villa district was alive and well out there, he seemed worried.

I also fell into thought, drumming my fingers on my knee. The chilling sensation from earlier still lingered like an afterimage.

'This is dangerous. Really dangerous.'

A zombie that had learned extensively about human daily life. If other zombies watched and learned from its actions, and that learning spread...

But was this something to worry about urgently? Just as people who couldn't adapt to the apocalypse died, zombies that hadn't learned enough would die first.

For example, zombies that didn't know shopping centers were food warehouses, zombies that didn't know how to eat packaged food, zombies that hadn't learned skilled combat - they were probably already dead.

In the end, only zombies that had learned as much as the virus generator would survive, becoming an elite force.

'This isn't something that can be solved by killing that one zombie. It's just the inevitable future.'

Tap, my finger stopped. I stared blankly between the man and the children's mother.

"Well then, I'll be going now."

"...There's nothing we can do anyway."

The man sighed heavily, and the children's mother suddenly glared at me. Her unfocused irritation and anger turned toward me.

"This zombie, because of you. The zombie you raised-"

"The kids were the ones feeding it trash."

If we're being strict, wasn't it the children's fault? Why did they have to stuff trash in its mouth as a prank?

When the mother's eyes started to roll back, I reached for a sedative. My hammer. One little tap on the head would make all that anger and irritation disappear. Plus I'd get whatever resources she had left at home.

Silence fell briefly. I held my hammer high, watching the top of the mother's head, while she glared at me with tightly pressed lips.

At that point the man waved his hands to stop us.

"Enough, enough. Fighting here won't change anything. Let's calmly assess the situation first."

"What more is there to assess! The school's fallen, zombies are loose, and the children are in danger of dying!"

Should I really administer the hammer sedative? She just wouldn't calm down.

As I was gauging the hammer's trajectory, a thought struck me and I slowly spoke:

"The children aren't exactly helpless. Haven't they learned well from working all this time?"

It was an interesting dynamic. Children who had learned practical survival skills in the villa district. A zombie that had learned from watching street people. A relationship forged through torment. Who would win? It could be quite an even match.

I imagined their situation with detached curiosity, like watching a fire from across the river.

"Right. Calm down. They're hidden somewhere safe for now. They can hold out until the police or archers make their move."

"...Yes."

Just as the man and children's mother were regaining their composure, an idea flashed in my mind.

Couldn't I use this as an opportunity?

The home base would be relatively vulnerable if people left to attempt a rescue. No, the base would still be difficult. What about people leaving for the rescue operation? Parents traveling from the base to the school.

Better yet, what if zombies and parents ended up fighting each other?

I quickly stood up. I needed time to think. To calmly calculate the risks and benefits. Time to consider appropriate actions.

"If there's nothing else to discuss, I'll go. Still have farming work to finish."

But as always, things unfolded differently than I planned.

The children's mother's phone suddenly rang and a video call connected. Before she could urgently speak, the children's voices came through.

"Mom, we're going to escape now."

"Now?"

The man and I quietly moved beside the children's mother to watch the screen. The video call showed the scene vividly.

Middle and high school students and surviving teachers were tearing down curtains and weaving clothes into ropes.

"Yeah. The adults will cover us at the main gate or something, so they said to come out first."

Just then, there was a sound of something being thrown and the screen turned.

Through the barricaded windows and doors, the virus generator's face was visible. It was throwing trash through the gaps between welded and nailed chairs and desks.

A child's irritated voice came through.

"Go away, you bastard!"

"Kreeeek!"

"Want to become a cross? You're asking to be made into a cross!"

The child picked up trash and threw it back. They continued throwing trash at each other like having a staring contest.

The children's mother suddenly came to her senses.

"You're coming out now? The adults aren't coming there?"

"Ah, yeah. They say it's hard to get in, I'm not sure."

I roughly grasped the situation. The police and archery club had moved quickly. As people armed with pistols or bows, they probably planned to seize the main gate and shoot rather than risk surprise attacks indoors.

It was disappointing.

'Could have been a chance to raid. They moved too fast.'

I let out a quiet sigh. Missed my opportunity to get involved.

Contrary to my disappointment, the children's mother was both happy and worried.

"The adults went? Did they reach the school?"

"Yeah. They're over there."

The phone turned toward the window. Several people had gathered at the main gate at the end of the wide playground, and they seemed well-prepared. They had nearly closed the iron gate, leaving just enough space for people to slip through, and had their weapons aimed.

They clearly only intended to save people.

'Are they giving up on the supplies stored at the school? They should grab them before the zombies eat everything.'

Well, they weren't organizations desperate for food. Fighting zombies unnecessarily could risk even small wounds becoming life-threatening. Getting secondary infections would be hard to treat.

If they were going to abandon the food anyway...

I suddenly thrust my face toward the camera.

"Can you contact the people who arrived? Hey, teacher in the back. Can you hear me?"

"What? Ah. Yes."

A teacher who had been busy with their hands looked up. I spoke to them:

"Since you're already there, could you ask them to completely block the front and back gates?"

"We could do that but why..."

"So they'll be trapped and starve to death."

The walls had barbed wire. Front gate, back gate. Block those two entrances and the zombies couldn't escape. Of course they might break down the gates to escape, but it was worth trying.

The teacher nodded blankly and tapped their phone. Then said:

"Yes, they say they'll lock the gates with handcuffs from outside."

I smiled contentedly. Zombies had learned from humans, and I had learned from zombies. Imprisonment. No need to fight with both hands. Just trap them and they'll starve.

And now it was time for the school's survivors to escape.

"I'm going now! See you at home!"

"Be careful!"

***

The video call continued.

A teacher went down first, holding a weapon while watching their surroundings, then the children followed. The screen went dark briefly with muffled sounds, probably from being put in a pocket.

The virus generator's "Kreeeek!" cry also grew distant.

A few seconds later there was a thud of feet touching ground, and the screen brightened again. A teacher could be seen urgently waving their hand toward the sky.

With their other hand they gestured for the child to go to the main gate first.

"I'll go with my brother."

"No. Go quickly first. Don't know when zombies might come out."

"But brother's coming down there?" freēnovelkiss.com

A child could be seen climbing down the rope.

The children's mother nervously bit her lip beside me. The man also stared intently at the screen, while I tilted my head.

'Did it not learn enough? If it's the virus generator, shouldn't it bring all the other zombies down?'

This wasn't the time to be so careful. The time spent carefully climbing down the rope seemed to stretch on forever. It didn't seem like everyone would be able to escape.

Thud, both villa district children reached the ground. They started running.

"Brother, let's go!"

"Run!"

The screen shook wildly. The sound of rapid footsteps and heavy breathing continued. They safely reached the main gate, and several more escaped students ran across the playground.

The child belatedly adjusted their grip on the phone. Their flushed skin was briefly visible.

"Mom, we escaped!"

"I'm hungry. I want ramen."

"Okay, I'll prepare ramen. Follow the adults carefully-"

That's when it happened.

Multiple zombie cries rang out simultaneously. Screams could also be heard, along with the sounds of police and archers arguing.

"No! Quick, backup-"

"...We need to close the gate and go. If they all swarm us we'll be in danger too."

"Easy for you to say when your kid already escaped!"

Though the screen didn't show it, the argument seemed quite fierce.

Just then, the children slowly turned the phone. A zombie wandering the street was approaching them. A small voice continued:

"Mister."

"No, we need to run away right now! No, I'm pulling out."

"Mister, zombie over there."

When the child prodded him, the police officer turned around. Seemed he finally noticed the zombie. Zombies were swarming toward the main gate, and street zombies were also gathering around them.

The officer reflexively fired his gun.

At the same time the phone screen shook. From the rapidly passing images, they were running away without looking back.