Engine sound roared in the middle of the road. It was the end of July, but Alaska was cold, really cold. Based on what I learned online, the temperature was roughly 10 degrees Celsius on average at this time around the year.
Compared to winter in Tokyo that has around 4 degrees Celsius on average, the summer temperature in Alaska was only 10 degrees higher.
Frankly speaking, the place sucked, especially if we compared it to beaches in Japan. I wanted to return already.
And it was snowing here, adding to the shitty atmosphere in the middle of the zombie apocalypse.
Oh yeah, speaking about zombies, we found them a few meters from the harbor, walking around aimlessly like a lost kid. Most of them wore warm clothes and hats, which was probably protecting them from the cold environment.
A lot of them were children and adults, like the usual zombies. We decided to ignore them and drove toward the city area where we hopefully could find a working telephone or satellite phone.
The mountainous and snowy area didn't really help in our journey. Our humvee got caught in piles of snow multiple times. Sometimes Saeko and I had to push our vehicle until it freed itself.
The best thing about Alaska was that there were so few zombies and cars on the street were scarce. I had complicated feelings about that.
I preferred to go to a livelier place like a mall instead of an isolated area where there weren't people to talk to, or zombies to kill.
Which meant we shouldn't expect too much.
"We are already in the humvee for 3 days. I want some proper bath and bed to sleep..." Saya groaned.
Miss Shizuka nodded, adding her opinion. "Yes, I agree. Moreover, we should refill our gas, don't you think?" She glanced sideways towards the indicator reflecting near the empty fuel tank. "Otherwise our trip will end here sooner rather than later!"
"We still have 3L fuel, don't worry about that. Based on the sign I saw, there should be a city in 5 kilometers. We just need to go straight to this street and maybe we can find a shop there to get essential stuff." I reassured them.
Even so, I was also slightly worried. Our communication was still lost. Saya tried her best to reconnect with army forces, but unfortunately she couldn't reach anyone yet.
"Argh, it frustrates me! What the heck happened? Did we miss something important!? Damn it!"
We eventually arrived at what appeared to be a deserted town devoid of signs of life anywhere. Abandoned cars lined up neatly alongside streets while buildings seemingly untouched ever since the outbreak began.
Good news? We found a gas station, or at least a tank that used to fill up vehicles with gasoline and diesel fuel.
"Let's get new supply here." I said, jumping down from the humvee. "Sis, escort Saya and find a house that seems to be safe. Miss Shizuka and I will got some supplies here and then find you."
Saeko nodded her head firmly, "Got it."
Stepping out of the humvee, she helped Saya to bring the radio and find a good house. She brought a katana and the riot shotgun with her. Saya had a new revolver, and so were me and Miss Shizuka. The rest of the guns, 2 AK and our old revolvers, were stored safely in the humvee.
Miss Shizuka moved our car near the tank and began to check it. She had some difficulty operating the pump, but she soon beamed into a smile.
"There is still some gas here!"
"That's good! Fill the tank first then the container."
While waiting, I decided to scout the area.
There didn't seem to be much to see. Just a few stores nearby and several residential homes. Nothing looked out of ordinary or noteworthy at first glance. However, as I walked further along, something caught my eye.
Loud sounds of engine and rotor rang from the sky. Five military helicopters passed above our area.
"US army?" Miss Shizuka mumbled curiously from behind. "They didn't notice us?"
I doubted that they were here for us. Most probably something happened in the area where they had to use helicopters. At least there were people alive in the town, and the US army still existed. That was the only good thing about seeing them.
'If something did happen in that city, then I guess we need to prepare ourselves better.'
Whether an army moved, that something bad was 100% worse than what we experienced before. If they said that Salazar Castle was a hard mode, this one was lunatic difficulty.
Anyway, there was no choice. Let's go to where Saya and Saeko were.
"Is the gas full already?" I asked her.
"Yep, everything's good! Let's go~"
After refueling our ride, we went back inside and drove towards where Saya and Saeko were waiting for us. They seemed to find a good house, a sturdy looking brick house. At the moment, Saeko was in front of the gate. She was guarding the area from any threats nearby while Saya was inside.
I approached her and greeted. "How's the house, sis?"
She smiled sweetly and answered, "There are 2 bedrooms here, clean without any blood. The electricity has been cut off but we find fireplace so it should be fine. I have seen some wood in the warehouse. The fridge is empty, and the water isn't working."
"Well, I guessed that much." I shrugged after hearing her answer. "Did you also see the helicopter passing by earlier?"
"I did. Do you think there are survivors there?" Saeko questioned curiously as we continued walking up to the porch.
"Maybe. Let's try our luck." I said, looking at where the helicopter went earlier, "But let's rest for a night and try to get new info. We can use that radio to communicate and maybe get new updates."
After checking on Saya, I found her busy adjusting antenna and radio settings.
She glanced at us and grunted, "Ugh, why do you think they still haven't reached me? I've tried all possible frequencies already!"
"I don't know." I admitted. "Maybe they aren't listening."
"I hope that isn't true. If no one responds, we're screwed! I will try walkie talkie at the same time to double our luck. But, don't hope too much."
"Hmmm. Anyway, keep on trying, Saya. I am counting on you for this." I patted her head, and she swatted my hand away in irritation.
"I know what I need to do."
I chuckled lightly, amused by her attitude. "Just saying." Then I turned my attention back toward the others, "We're going to stay here overnight."
"Oooh, a nice warm place~" Miss Shizuka clapped her hands in happiness, "What should we do to spend our time~?" Her tone sounded really naughty and horny.
However, I wasn't really in the mood this time. Not after I saw those helicopters. I knew something was going to happen, so we needed to prepare ourselves better. We could play after securing safety first.
I wanted to explore and scout this place further, but it would be better if I did that with Saeko. I needed a strong and agile partner for scouting.
But at that moment...
Something exploded many times in the distance.