Walker, Alone (3)
Humans can't survive more than three days without water. Extreme dehydration sets in, and organ function plummets. When you look at it that way, they're truly fragile. The creature known as a human.
The zombie didn't die even after five days. Far from dying, it wasn't much different from when I first caught it. If I approached without a lymph node, it would still thrash about and show aggression toward me. Even though it usually stayed perfectly still, not moving a muscle. I think that’s the key. Staying still. Doing nothing. If the basal metabolic rate is extremely low and energy consumption is minimal? Then it’s possible. Because they only use energy exactly when they need it.
I even wondered if the spores spread throughout their bodies might be absorbing moisture from the air. I started thinking that because the humidity in the lab dropped like crazy. As if someone had turned on a dehumidifier. The only thing that could cause the humidity to drop like that was the zombie. So, it’s a reasonable thought to have.
The zombie ate anything. It naturally ate what humans used to eat. When I threw in the carcass of another zombie from which I’d removed the lymph nodes, it ate that too. Voraciously. Well, I suppose if they eat human flesh, there’s no reason they wouldn’t eat each other. But that’s funny, too. When the zombie was alive, it ignored it and didn't even give it a second glance. But once it died, it started tearing into it like that? Ah. Now that I think about it, that makes sense. I’d pulled out the lymph nodes. So, the zombie had no way of distinguishing whether it was a zombie or a human. So, it probably just shoved it into its mouth.
Zombies are still living humans. So, their bodies didn't rot or anything. However, they did become extremely emaciated. Well, that’s to be expected. Their appetite itself had disappeared in the first place. Besides, thanks to the nerve-disrupting spores, I don't think they feel hunger. So, they probably decided on a behavioral policy of conserving energy by standing blankly in place rather than wandering around looking for prey.
Their vision is surprisingly poor. Rather, their hearing seems more developed. As for smell or taste, well, there’s no need to worry about that. They seem to have almost no sense of touch or pain. That’s why they get back up even after being beaten. I also experimented on whether they could use tools. Experiments on intelligence, too. I pretended to untie and replace the ropes, but I deliberately only handcuffed them, left the key in the lab, and went outside. As if I were thinking, "There's no way those things could pick a handcuff lock, right?" With a look of utter carelessness. And once I was outside, I watched the interior through the camera.
If my acting wasn't clumsy, this was the perfect opportunity. An opportunity to pick the lock and target me when I returned. A chance that wouldn't come again. But the zombie just stayed there. It just stared blankly. Perhaps thinking that moving unnecessarily was a waste of energy, it didn't move an inch. No, wait—it shot a gun. But it can't pick a handcuff lock? The problem is that I can't be sure if that was acting or real. It might mean they’re throwing away a precious opportunity to instill confidence in me, only to aim for a more decisive moment later.
But I don't know. Are those things really that intelligent? Ah. Why did I have to watch that video of them shooting guns? It makes things so confusing. For now, the zombie showed no particular reaction. It definitely knew where the key was, and it could have moved and gone to get it if it wanted to, but it didn't. Does it know there’s a camera? Since it’s human, maybe it knows that?
I have too many thoughts. So, I decided to try something a little simpler. There are plenty of things to experiment with anyway. So, I can just do it while I'm at it. I brought the handcuffed zombie outside. Now that the weeds have grown thick, to an outsider, there’s no way they’d think my main base was underneath this. I drove a stake into the ground and hooked one side of the handcuffs to it. Then, I untied all the other ropes and such that were binding its body. When I sealed the lymph node in a container, a moment later, the zombie showed intense hostility toward me.
Even though its arm was tied to the stake, it didn't care and tried to lunge at me. It looked like its arm or hand would be ripped off if I left it like that. That’s how mercilessly it was trying to lunge at me. I threw the key next to the stake. Close enough that it could easily pick it up and unlock the handcuffs. But the zombie had no interest in the key. It just flailed its arms in the air, trying to grab me.
"You. Do you understand me?" I said, wearing my gas mask, but the zombie just made a gwoo-uh sound and flailed its free arm, trying to grab me. It’s doing that even though we’re more than three meters apart. Like an idiot.
I put on a fire-retardant suit. And I strapped a fuel tank to my back. Then I aimed the front of the flamethrower at the zombie. Hmm. It feels a bit embarrassing to call it a flamethrower. It’s just a fuel injection device with an ignition system added. Still, the effect is certain. However, because it’s an illegal modification, there’s a risk it could explode at any time. Of course, I modified it with care, but you never know what might happen. So, I don't intend to use it unless it’s an extremely urgent situation. I’m only using it now to threaten the zombie in front of me. And to check the equipment.
"If you don't pick the lock on those handcuffs, you’re going to burn to a crisp. So stop acting and hurry up and unlock them."
I said as much, but the zombie remained the same. Just making oo-uh-oo-uh sounds like an idiot. I pressed the ignition button. And pulled the trigger. Viscous fuel sprayed out with a whoosh. And then, the flames. A flamethrower doesn't shoot fire. To be precise, it’s like a napalm bomb. It’s correct to say it sprays burning fuel at the target to incinerate it. That’s why the zombie was immediately engulfed in flames.
A burning zombie. It’s quite a sight. I almost want to take a picture of it. Even while burning like that, the zombie didn't think to pick the lock on its handcuffs. It just thrashed about, trying to attack me even as its flesh melted away and it collapsed to the ground. Funny. It won't pick the lock even like this? Then I guess I can trust it now. That it really doesn't know how to pick the lock.
I turn off the flamethrower. And watch the zombie burning fiercely. Hmm. Now that I think about it, this is a completely insane thing to do. Setting a fire like this in the autumn. If it had been a windy day, it would have been perfect for starting a forest fire. A forest fire can start even from a cigarette butt. And I just went and used a flamethrower. Most of the surrounding grass was still alive, so the fire didn't spread. I’d already taken all the fire prevention measures, too. But if I’d been just three or four weeks later, I wouldn't have been able to do something like this. Well, if I had, I’d be a madman. Ah. I am a madman, aren't I?
I tried putting out the fire with a fire extinguisher. The flames died down for a moment, but as expected, they flared up again. I knew it. I expected that. So, I covered the collapsed zombie with dirt. And the fire burning nearby, too. It’s not like I didn't have a plan. I did it because I knew I could handle it. Eventually, the fire went out. Smoke leaked from the dirt that covered the zombie. I waited for a while, put on fire-retardant gloves, and dug through the dirt. Then I swung an axe at the zombie’s neck. I have to extract the lymph node, after all.
I took the lymph node I’d extracted like that and went to another zombie to check. As expected, the lymph node had no effect. I guess I roasted it too thoroughly. The customers don't like that very much. In the end, the flamethrower isn't a very good choice. It’s too loud and too dangerous. I can't even use the lymph node, and if I make a mistake and it explodes, I’m the one who’s in danger. So, I’ll have to seal the flamethrower away for now. I’m not sure if it’ll be for a while or forever, but for now. At least it’s certain that the zombie is stupid. Sacrificing its own life to make me careless and get killed by another zombie? That’s too much of a stretch. Even a human wouldn't do that. There’s nothing to be gained from it. It’s more accurate to see the zombie that used the gun as a special case.
Well, but another problem arises. The fact that I can't distinguish which zombie is special and which one is stupid? So, what I have to do remains the same. Don't be careless, and always be on guard. Handle everything cautiously and don't give them any openings at all.
Four zombies left. There are only this many left already. Well, there are plenty of zombies outside anyway. I should just finish them off quickly and go catch the next ones. So, while I’m at it, I’ll clear out the remaining ones quickly. First, I’ll have to experiment with a few ways to kill zombies effectively. And in what cases the lymph node remains intact. I tried submerging a zombie in water. If it were a human, they wouldn't last long and would gulp down water and pass out. Because the oxygen to the brain would be cut off. That’s what drowning is. Strictly speaking, it’s death by suffocation. So, the zombie also drowned. Because they aren't real zombies, but humans who have developed the disease. However, the process was different from a normal human. Because they don't know pain or suffering, the zombie thrashed about until its activity stopped. And it slowly died. As if it didn't even know why it was dying. Anyway, it does die. But it takes too long. And the lymph node extracted from such a zombie also lost its effect quickly. So, dunking zombies in water isn't a very good method either.
The zombie didn't have much of a problem even if its limbs were severed. There wasn't much difference from a zombie that was fully intact. The lymph node was fine, too. So, from now on, if necessary, it’ll be better to sever their limbs and store them. That would be much safer. It’s easier to store, and there’s no chance of being counterattacked. A zombie didn't change just because it was shot in the body. It felt like it was asking, "What did you do that for?" Well, that’s to be expected, isn't it? They’re guys who stay alive even if their limbs are cut off. So, if you’re going to shoot, you have to aim precisely for the head or heart. So that the body can completely cease its physical activity. In that sense, a pistol isn't a very good weapon. It doesn't have much stopping power, either. And I don't have that kind of skill, anyway.
Taser guns, blunt force, piercing, crushing—all of that was meaningless. In the end, you have to separate the head from the body. You can suppress their activity, but they don't die completely. In a sense, they really are zombies. At this point, they’re zombies. It’s ridiculous to call them anything else.
Like that, the last zombie died. And I was left with one lymph node. A lymph node that can be used for about 30 hours if kept in physiological saline. That means I have to go outside tomorrow and replenish my zombie stock. It means I have to go out. Well, I have to. It’s unsettling to have an empty zombie inventory. By the way, I’ll have to dig the ground even more. I can't leave it like this. Ah. I regret not having an incinerator more and more. But it can't be helped. I have to live with what I have for now. Stop grumbling.