His Sanity Ran Out

The body of a soldier who had been leaning against the door was the thing that dropped in their direction.

"Don’t worry," Calvin said. "This is the body of a person who lacked the bravery to go outside for food or water because he believed that staying inside would save his life. He most likely died quickly because he was worn out even before the building became poisoned.

The ease with which Calvin talked unnerved everyone, and they stood in startled stillness.

Someone said, "How do you know that?"

"It's easy to figure out," Calvin said. "He is thin, and his clothes are worn. This implies that shortly before the zombie pandemic started, he came back here on a mission. His arms are covered in scratches from his own fingernails, and I can tell he was a coward because he shut himself inside. The only way he could maintain what little sanity he still had in his fear was to cause pain. Anyhow, let's enter."

Calvin moved forward, but the others stood motionless, astounded by how well he had seen. When they looked at the body once again, they noticed that the soldier's body was thin and his skin was dry, and that fingernail marks were indeed present.

Once inside, they discovered that this area was just as, if not more, intact as the supply room. The walls were covered in bullet marks, yet there were not many bloodstains.

"It seems his sanity ran out before his life did," Calvin said. "The fool wasted a lot of ammo here."

They made an effort to block out Calvin's remarks and concentrated on assembling any weapons they might require. Compact sniper rifles, lightweight bazookas, weapons with improved piercing or range capabilities, and handheld machine gun turrets were all in the room. They only chose those that would work well in the building's cramped quarters.

Raymond thought back a few weeks to his firearms training. These were improved models of previous models. He had been informed, for example, that bazookas were no longer big and unwieldy but were now more compact, portable, and sturdy. It was incredible how technology had improved weapons, and a breakthrough in human enhancement had occurred shortly before the world seemed to be ending.

"Now," Calvin stated, "we only need to locate a sizable gang of zombies. Our next aim is the landing area, which is the largest room. Initially, we will...

Raymond recalled going to the exact location Calvin had indicated before. Knowing that the others would not take the information well, Raymond interrupted Calvin and drew him aside for a private conversation. He detailed the blood puddles he had observed, the bullet marks, and the enormous hole in the wall.

"Raymond, thank you for sharing this with me," Calvin remarked. Sharing this in private was a smart move since if the others had known, they would have become hopeless. But our options are limited. We'll keep it a secret and see how they respond because it's still the greatest location for us to establish our position for the time being."

Although Raymond disliked the thought of keeping the truth from the others, he decided to trust Calvin since he felt he had a plan. The gang looked at them curiously as they re-joined.

"Don’t worry," Calvin encouraged them. "All he wanted to know was how the HHD worked and how much more harm he could get. Nothing major.

Raymond wished he had asked those questions when Calvin stated that.

Calvin went on, "In any case, we're going to the landing room now."

They started out with firearms ready to protect themselves as quickly as possible. Calvin abruptly stopped, and the others followed suit.

Calvin declared, "There's a change in formation." "We will require additional troops to protect the back in order to draw as many zombies as possible to the landing chamber. Raymond and I will be the only ones facing forward from now on. The rest of you are merely required to observe from the sides and back.

Raymond realized Calvin's genuine intention, but everyone blindly accepted the instruction. He wanted to protect them from the turmoil in the landing room, not only cover the back.

Making as much noise as they could as they moved down the hallways, they occasionally rendered zombies inoperable rather than killing them in order to leave a more extensive trail in their wake. Calvin halted the group and spoke to them when they arrived at the landing chamber.

Calvin remarked, "We'll check for any dangers inside." "You remain vigilant in the interim. Since you are in the ideal tactical position and there aren't many zombies at the moment, you shouldn't have any problems."

Raymond and Calvin walked into the landing area. As Raymond recalled, the room was still a frenzied mess.

"Stop getting distracted," Calvin said to Raymond in a lower voice. "We need to clear everything near the entrance so they don’t notice the disarray."

As the sound of gunfire outside indicated the increasing number of zombies assembling, they pushed aside some metal debris. Calvin went outdoors when they had cleared the area.

Calvin declared, "All right, everyone, the area is secure." "Even when you take up positions inside, keep your aim. The new nation of Sakurashi will punish anyone who turns. Do you understand?"

Raymond examined the hole in the wall as they cautiously made their way inside. There were no burn marks anywhere, but it was big enough to fit a double-decker tank, as if it had been hit with such force. When Raymond attempted to look inside, Calvin summoned him back to his place.

They were waiting for the enemy, powerful weaponry at the ready. They easily defeated the zombies one by one as they started to creep in through the door. This went on for around five minutes before the zombie flow appeared to halt. Until someone sneezed, they remained in their places, cautiously going for the door. At first, Raymond didn't give it any thought, but he soon saw its importance and turned to face the man—just too late.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The man had turned to sneeze and looked to the opposite side of the room. His gaze was followed by the other members of the squad, who all reacted with comparable dread.

"What the hell?!" exclaimed one of them. "This seemed like a safe place to me! You assured us that it was.

Calvin answered, "I know, but it's—"

"I'm done listening to your lies! I will return to the supply room. In any case, your plan was most likely to kill us."

Raymond really did try to stop him, but the man approached the exit too closely, and a zombie bit him in the neck. Raymond had to take a step back and shot the zombies and the body. The remainder of the team was in a state of confusion, either shooting inefficiently or not at all. Raymond was able to fend them off longer, even under such tumultuous circumstances.

Calvin yelled out, "Hey, Raymond," from nearby.

"What’s the matter now, Calvin?!"

"Do you recall the hole you pointed out? I believe I now know what caused it.

Raymond was horrified by Calvin's remarks, and as he turned, he saw the massive figure of a massive zombie.