Infected - Chapter 1
Only Noblemtl
Prologue 1
July 25, 2013.
‘Fukushima nuclear power plant, radioactive wastewater leak. Out of control situation.’
Now, two years and four months after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in Japan, the fear of a radiation leak is resurfacing.
This is because it was belatedly discovered that ultra-high-concentration radioactive water vapor, 2,000 times the annual allowable dose for the general public, was rising from the damaged nuclear power plant and that radioactively contaminated wastewater was flowing directly into the ocean.
Moreover, the bigger problem is that the Japanese government and agencies are engaging in blatant lies, minimization, and cover-ups, making it impossible to properly confirm how serious the situation is.
February 1, 2016.
‘Contaminated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant is flowing into groundwater.’
Vast quantities of radioactive wastewater, which exceeds standards by hundreds of times, are seeping into nearby soil and contaminating groundwater.
Although Tokyo Electric Power Company and the Japanese government say the amount is sufficiently controllable, most experts are concerned about the safety of animals and volunteers remaining in the Fukushima area.
May 20, 2022.
‘Strange behavior of animals left behind in the Fukushima region’.
Mr. Koichi (62), who had been living in the area by fishing, was worried about the animals left behind and after much thought returned home, but witnessed an unbelievable sight.
The neighbors’ pets, who had always greeted us warmly by wagging their tails, had turned into wild beasts, biting and eating each other.
Mr. Koichi (62), who was surprised, reported this fact to Seiko (29), a veterinarian working at a nearby animal hospital research center.
The seagulls, which should normally be flying peacefully over the sea, attacked animals on the ground and even threatened people, he said, conveying the tense moment.
June 9, 2022.
‘Experts: The cause of the abnormal behavior of animals in the nuclear power plant area is radioactive wastewater seeping into the groundwater.’
Last month, the attacks on Fukushima animals were dismissed as simple mass hysteria, and all the animals were disposed of.
However, following Tokyo Electric Power Company’s admission that the wastewater flowing out of the plant was uncontrollable, a group of Japan’s leading environmentalists concluded that the cause of the abnormal behavior of animals in the plant area was radioactive wastewater seeping into the groundwater.
They warned that the amount of wastewater that had leaked into the groundwater would not only severely damage the soil in the surrounding area, but also exceeded the amount of radiation released by the atomic bomb during World War II.
In addition, Dr. Nakata (53), the chairman of the group, urged the Japanese government to wake up, saying that if thorough countermeasures are not prepared this summer, an unprecedented infectious disease that has never been experienced in human history could spread.
* * *
The day the virus broke out.
A temporary animal hospital in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.
It was just before dawn.
The woman, who woke up earlier than usual, did a quick cat wash and went outside to stretch.
Perhaps because of his rough dreams last night, he kept mumbling to himself even as he stretched for several minutes.
At that moment, she was suddenly startled by a sharp sound that stimulated her hearing and looked around.
Not far away, his pet cat was scratching at the outside wall of a wooden building.
The woman felt a strange sense of unease at the strange behavior of this cat, who was gentle and not aggressive compared to other cats.
“Kiko, what’s wrong? What’s there?”
I wondered if I had found a rat, but Kiko had never been very interested in rodents in the first place.
Kiko is acting more aggressively than usual.
The woman became worried.
As the hand that was carefully extended with a worried heart reached Kiko.
Kiko suddenly turned around and bit the woman’s hand.
Soon, a drop of red blood formed on the woman’s pure white hand.
“Ouch! Kiko, what are you doing!”
The woman who had been screaming nervously was at a loss as she saw the blood flowing down her hand.
Kiko, startled by the sound, also disappeared in an instant.
“Why are you suddenly doing that?”
Chinese flowed out of the woman’s mouth as if she was moaning.
A few years ago, a woman who had come to study abroad from Beijing was staying in Fukushima Prefecture with a senior veterinarian as part of a graduate school research team, studying abnormal animal behavior.
Although the animals have been showing signs of collective hysteria lately, Kiko has not been in any trouble.
But there was something strange about Kiko’s impulsive behavior today.
* * *
In the afternoon of the same day.
A laboratory inside a temporary animal hospital in Fukushima Prefecture.
“I think it’s strange. Kiko has never done anything like that before… … .”
“Animals often show mass hysteria. It’s not once or twice, so don’t worry too much. Kiko must have become sensitive because the other animals suddenly felt anxious. But… why won’t the blood stop flowing?”
The vet asked worriedly, noticing that the bandage wrapped around the woman’s hand was getting redder with time.
“I don’t know. It keeps bleeding.”
Perhaps because of the veterinarian’s question, the woman who had been taking it lightly seemed to be starting to feel a little uneasy.
“By the way, how about the samples you collected?”
“I was going to check it out today anyway.”
“Call me right away when you check. Let’s finish up quickly and get out of here. I don’t feel at ease.”
The vet quickly stood up and packed his bag.
“Where are you going?”
“I haven’t been able to contact Mr. Koichi. I have to go for a checkup anyway, so I thought I’d stop by. When was the last time you were there?”
“It was last week… It’s June 9th. Have a nice day. I’ll call you as soon as I get the results.”
“Okay. By the way, do you have any cigarettes?”
“I smoked all of it too. Please buy me some when you come.”
“Yeah, well.”
The veterinarian left the hospital with a regretful face and headed towards Koichi’s house along the winding coastal road.
He frowned involuntarily as he felt slightly dizzy, following the nausea that had been creeping in since last night.
‘This is a really unpleasant place.’
The vet arrived at Koichi’s house shortly after and shook his head.
“Mr. Koichi, are you there?”
Unlike usual, where I would hear noises before I arrived, the front of the house was strangely quiet and there was no sign of anything.
At that moment, the veterinarian’s eyes caught sight of a half-open door.
The vet took his hand away from ringing the doorbell and stepped into the yard.
“… Mr. Koichi?”
There was no sign of life in the yard either.
The veterinarian frowned at the sight of dog feces strewn everywhere, and walked cautiously while checking the guardrails.
As expected.
Koichi was lying on the floor, his pupils dilated and his mouth half open, helpless.
“Hey, Mr. Koichi, are you okay?”
The veterinarian rushed to Koichi, but he was already dead.
“Oh, you’re dead.”
The veterinarian, who witnessed a human death for the first time, was at a loss.
And the aftermath was beyond imagination.
His fingertips began to tremble like crazy.
As the veterinarian took out his phone to call an ambulance, his gaze was drawn to the teeth marks clearly visible on Koichi’s arms and legs.
‘This is… … .’
It must belong to puppies.
At that moment, puppies drooling blood-mixed saliva began to enter the yard one by one.
Red, bloodshot eyes and fiercely bared teeth.
In that moment, something flashed through his mind.
‘rabies?’
That’s right.
The dogs were clearly showing signs of rabies.
But something felt different.
‘Is it really this aggressive?’
The moment the veterinarian’s back hits the wall as he steps back in fear.
Rustle!
I heard movement behind me.
An eerie feeling spreads down my spine.
Clearly, there was nothing else behind him besides Koichi’s body.
The vet looked back slowly, very slowly.
Then, something unbelievable was happening there.
Koichi’s arm, which was thought to be dead, was moving slowly.
Crack! Crack!
Then, all of a sudden, he started twisting the joints of his upper body here and there.
The speed was getting faster and faster.
“Mr. Koichi? Hey! Are you okay?”
Koichi, breaking his limbs like a madman.
The movement was so fast that I felt like I would go crazy if I just watched it.
“Whoa! Eww! Ewww!”
Koichi let out an ear-piercing scream with his chest heaving, and then he started spitting out black blood.
Ugh! Ugh!
The vet’s stomach lurched and his heart raced as he heard the bloody clump shoot out of the dog’s throat.
What the hell does that mean?
It was different from what people do when they are sick.
Eyes… yes, eyes.
His eyes did not belong to a living person.
That was when.
Koichi, whose seizure had stopped, began to get up in a truly bizarre way, using only his lower body without using his hands.
The sight was very similar to that of a gymnast using her body freely.
The problem, however, was Koichi’s age.
A 60 year old man has such physical abilities?
It was something that could never happen.
Koichi, who had finally gotten up completely, flew towards the vet without a moment’s hesitation.
The veterinarian, sensing something unusual, also ran toward the front door.
But his leg got caught on the threshold and he fell down.
Kwajik!
At that moment, a sharp pain I had never felt before surged into my calf.
I turned my head to check and saw Koichi’s face biting my calf.
On Koichi’s face, which had turned black, blood vessels were popping out as if dancing.
The vet had a gut feeling that if he didn’t get out of there, he would die.
All the knowledge I had about unrealistic situations I had seen and heard about in my life came to mind at once.
puck!
He kicked Koichi in the face with all his might.
It was a truly desperate blow.
Wood crack!
Koichi’s cervical vertebrae suddenly turned.
A brief moment of relaxation thanks to that.
‘Now is the time!’
Without missing a beat, the vet used all his might to run out of the house.
Kick with all your might the puppies that block your way.
In those desperate struggles, there was no trace of the professional appearance of a veterinarian.
There is only the struggle of a single human being struggling to survive.
The veterinarian left the house and hurriedly got into his car and drove absentmindedly.
I was even more distracted by the indescribable sight of ‘somethings’ running out from all over town to the sound of the car engine.
Their true identities were none other than residents who had returned to Fukushima a few years ago.
They all ran towards the car like crazy, looking like Koichi.
Strange gestures and speeds, and roars of unknown meaning.
The antics they displayed were simply impossible to accept with normal thinking.
* * *
“Get on quickly!”
The woman who had been waiting in front of the hospital after receiving a call from the vet quickly got into the passenger seat.
“What’s going on?”
The woman’s voice began to tremble with anxiety at the veterinarian’s anxious and urgent words.
“I don’t know how to explain this… I need to get out of here first.”
“What’s going on?”
“If you hear that, you might think I’m crazy.”
“Speak quickly!”
The woman shouted sharply.
“Mr. Koichi died. But… … .”
“Huh? He died?”
“… But he’s still alive. No, not just Koichi-san.”
“What kind of nonsense are you talking about? If you’re joking, stop it right now!”
“Well, I hope it’s a joke. You book a flight back to Beijing right now. As soon as possible. I’ll drop you off at Haneda Airport on the way to Tokyo. Remember, you’ve never seen or heard of Koichi in the first place. Got it?”
“What are you going to do, senior? What about our research?”
A woman who sensed something ominous went to the airport website to book a flight ticket and asked.
“That’s not important right now!”
“Okay, just don’t yell. Ugh, I have a flight coming up, but I’m really pressed for time.”
“Let’s see… This much is enough.”
The veterinarian checked the time and increased the speed of the car with a grave expression.
“Do you have any cigarettes?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. I thought there weren’t any, but I looked and found a few. Maybe here… … .”
A woman who was rummaging through her bag took out a pack of cigarettes.
There was only one left inside.
After thinking for a moment, she put a cigarette in the mouth of the veterinarian who was breathing heavily.
The veterinarian lit the cigarette with trembling hands and smoked it in silence for a while.
He smoked about half of it, and only then, perhaps calming down a little, he handed the remaining cigarette to the woman.
“Ha… It’s okay now. You smoke.”
The woman who was about to refuse checked her watch.
There was obviously no time to stop by a convenience store or anything, and it seemed like there would be no time to buy cigarettes at the airport.
She was already anxious, so she accepted the cigarette without refusing.
“thank you.”
“Thank you, it was originally yours.”
She leaned back in her chair, took a deep drag on her cigarette, and exhaled the smoke slowly.
But the filter tasted strangely bitter.
When I took the cigarette out of my mouth again and examined it, I saw a trace of blood near the filter.
She reflexively looked at the vet’s hands holding the steering wheel.
There was blood on his fingers and all over his body.
The woman, unable to contain her curiosity about what had happened, was about to speak again when the veterinarian’s leg, pressing the accelerator, came into view.
Her eyes were captured by sharp teeth marks, swollen wounds, and crimson blood seeping through torn skin.
* The characters, place names, and groups appearing in this work are fictitious and have nothing to do with reality.
Infected people
Prologue 2
Day 2 of the virus outbreak.
A hotel in Tokyo.
Mark opened his eyes to the noise outside the window and barely managed to get up from his rock-heavy body.
Maybe it’s because I drank too much last night.
I couldn’t even think about closing the window, so I reached for some water to combat the thirst that was surging within me.
After struggling to get up and taking a sip of water from the fridge, he searched for his smartphone for a long time.
He barely managed to find his smartphone hidden under his pillow and checked the time while wiping away the eye boogers that had stuck to his eyes like leeches.
At that moment, my smartphone rang, indicating that someone was calling.
It was Andrew who was staying in the room next door.
“Mark, are you awake?”
“Oh. There’s no problem, except that my body feels strangely heavy.”
“That makes sense. After drinking so much.”
“What time is it now?”
“It’s seven o’clock. You’ve been sleeping all afternoon.”
“I’ve had my fill too.”
“You’re speaking weakly again. You’ve been very busy.”
“Where in the world is there a person who isn’t busy?”
Mark, who spoke as if he was nagging her, collapsed back onto the bed.
“No way. Anyone who worked like that would get sick. We just got over Ebola, and then we had Zika, and we had years of no rest. Honestly, there’s probably no one at WHO who works as hard as Mark.”
“We decided not to talk about that. It’s embarrassing to hear.”
“Thanks to you, I was able to have such a great vacation. I’m grateful.”
“Well… that’s because you’ve suffered a lot by my side. Ah, I think I’m already getting tired of this trip.”
“It’s only been three days out of the full moon. Shouldn’t we really enjoy our sightseeing?”
“I’m so excited.”
“I don’t think I know yet, but I’m probably the first person who’s been by Mark’s side for this long. I wonder how many hardships and adversities await him when he returns… Just thinking about it makes my head hurt. So for now… … .”
“Okay, I got it. I’ll wash up and go out, so go to the lobby when you’re ready.”
“Yes. I’ll make a reservation for a hot spring to relieve my hangover.”
“As you wish.”
But there was no sign of Mark getting up after he hung up the phone.
Could it be because of Andrew’s words?
As he lay there accepting the fatigue and hangover that was creeping in, memories of the past came flooding back to his mind.
Those were really busy days with no time to breathe.
It wasn’t just that I showed such passion for promotion or career advancement.
When I went to the site to investigate the epidemiology, I saw people dying with my own eyes, and all I could hope was that they would escape this hell as soon as possible.
Such a mindset soon became a step towards the field, and before I knew it, 15 long years had passed.
What would the runny-nosed boys and girls who tried to wake their motionless mothers without even knowing what death was look like now?
He was always absorbed in his work, sometimes forgetting his own existence, on the vague borderline between life and death.
That’s why I couldn’t even enjoy this sudden vacation with peace of mind.
Mark walked to the bathroom, thinking that this time was not for healing, but rather the first step toward finding the space in his heart to reflect on himself.
* * *
Soon after, Mark appeared in the lobby, dressed in a neat shirt and jeans.
Andrew, who had been curiously watching the people passing by outside the window, smiled brightly and waved when he saw him.
“You came out sooner than I expected.”
“Have you been waiting long?”
“No, it was my first time in Japan, so I was just sightseeing and didn’t even realize how much time had passed.”
“Well then, that’s great. Where do you plan on going?”
“It’s almost nighttime, so let’s go to Shinjuku. The subway will be tiring, so let’s take a taxi.”
“Didn’t you say you made a reservation for the hot springs?”
“You can go there late at night. But… Well, Shinjuku is listed like this in the tourist information here.”
Andrew continued, unfolding the tourist guide with an excited expression.
“It’s a really attractive street with many faces, such as shopping on the east side and business on the west side, centered around Shinjuku Station, which boasts the largest number of daily users in Japan, tens of thousands of people. What do you think, Mark? Aren’t you excited just thinking about it?”
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to buy some souvenirs while you’re at it. It’s a bit early, though.”
“That’s not what I meant. I think that buying and wearing a T-shirt with a samurai on it or a shirt with a lot of Japanese written on it will create a memory.”
“hmm…….”
As Mark nodded, lost in his imagination, Andrew, who had already caught a taxi, opened the door and urged him on.
Andrew got into the taxi and told the driver his destination using his fluent Japanese.
I glanced at Mark, secretly hoping he would notice my fluent Japanese skills, but he didn’t seem interested at all.
He just kept his gaze fixed on the forest of buildings outside the window.
“Hmm, hmm, I speak a little Japanese.”
“I guess so. Is that your major?”
“Mark doesn’t even know what my major is yet?”
“What was your major? Sorry, I can’t remember since you asked so suddenly.”
“Okay. Anyway, things like my major aren’t that important. What’s important is that I’m good at Japanese, which isn’t even my major.”
“When you return, I’ll suggest that you be transferred to the Asia branch. Then you won’t have to travel with me.”
“Well… if I hadn’t spent time with Mark, I would have just lived comfortably like any other normal person, not knowing anything. But now that I know that there are people who work like crazy, and after working next to them for five years, I can’t go anywhere else.”
After he finished speaking, Mark laughed in vain at Andrew’s actions, as he pushed his shoulder without any reason, perhaps feeling embarrassed himself.
“It feels just like New York in the 90s.”
Mark muttered as he looked out at the dense forest of buildings that occupied the entire center of Tokyo.
“Really? Maybe it’s because I was born in the 90s, but I’m not sure. Oh, I read it in a book. It said that Japan once grew to the point where it was on par with the United States economically.”
“That’s right. Isn’t that amazing? That they accomplished something like that in this small island nation.”
“Well, from a historical perspective, I don’t really like Japan.”
“You’re surprisingly conservative?”
“Does that even count as an ideological tendency? I’m just stating the facts.”
“Okay, okay. Still, it’s nice to see that you can be so serious about something.”
Mark spoke soothingly to Andrew, whose face was slightly red from the reminder.
“Haha, thank you. It’s no fun if you’re always serious.”
“But ambulances have been driving around here and there since a while ago. Is something wrong?”
“Look, Mark. We’re here for a vacation. We’re not here to work.”
Mark sighed and nodded at Andrew’s nagging, but for some reason, he felt uneasy because of the ambulances that were appearing one after another.
Perhaps this is also an occupational disease.
* * *
The two people who arrived in Shinjuku immediately looked for food.
Not only did I still have a hangover, but the only food in my stomach was the water I drank when I woke up.
“When you think of Japan, you think of ramen. I know a restaurant I’ve been to, so let’s go there.”
“Were you always this thoroughgoing?”
“Okay. Okay, over there.”
There was a line of roughly ten people in front of the restaurant Andrew pointed to.
“Surely I don’t have to wait in that line?”
“This is also the charm of traveling.”
Mark nodded his head reluctantly instead of answering.
The two people, who had waited for over 30 minutes and finally entered the restaurant, began sightseeing as soon as they filled their stomachs.
While walking down the shopping street, taking pictures, buying souvenirs, and making memories, Andrew called Mark.
“Oh, by the way, it would also be nice to see the night view from the observatory at Tokyo Tower.”
“You said you were going to the hot springs at night?”
“Oh, that’s right.”
“Then why did you bring up the hot spring story?”
“Haha, that’s right.”
Andrew scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed.
That was when.
Squeak-
bang!
An ambulance appeared noisily at the previously quiet intersection, then lost its balance and began to sway back and forth before crashing into the outer wall of a building and coming to a stop.
Fortunately, there were no injuries as people avoided the noisy scene from afar.
When the ambulance’s siren went off, the surrounding area became quiet as if time had stopped.
“Oh my god… Mark, did you just see that? What was that… … .”
“Let’s go and see.”
The two ran to the scene of the accident without saying who would go first.
The people standing nearby also started to gather one by one.
Black smoke was billowing from the engine, but it didn’t look like it would catch fire any time soon.
The two men pushed through the crowd of people and entered the scene. They first looked inside the ambulance.
The interior of the car was dark and the windows were dark, making it impossible to see anything.
At that moment, a sound was heard that made Mark doubt his ears.
Krrrr… … .
It sounded like the roar of an angry beast.
“…Andrew.”
“yes?”
“A regular ambulance… … .”
Mark asked, tugging on Andrew’s collar as he leaned closer to the broken window.
“But you’re transporting even wild beasts?”
“No, as far as I know, it’s like that… … .”
Kwaaak!
“Get out of the way!”
Suddenly, a sharp roar is heard out of nowhere.
A surprised Mark roughly grabbed Andrew’s collar.
In the darkness, a figure, presumably male, poked his head out of the broken window.
Andrew quickly took out his smartphone and shined the light from the screen at the man.
The two people who saw each other’s appearance felt goosebumps all over their bodies for a moment.
A sharp piece of broken glass was stuck in the neck of a man who was shaking his head as if he was mad.
Yet the man did not feel any pain.
Instead, he shook his head roughly as if he was angry.
“Hey, what is that?”
“… … .”
Mark had seen countless cases of patients with various diseases, not just Ebola.
But this man’s appearance was something I had never heard of or learned about before.
The blood vessels on his face danced and swayed, and his reddened eyes were filled with bloody tears.
Even to Mark, who had been to countless field sites, the sight of him chattering his teeth as if he was anxious about chewing something seemed strange.
Whether it was released during the accident or not, all limbs except the right arm were completely bound.
The tightly tied leather belt seemed to indicate the man’s danger.
“Mark, I don’t know, but it looks to me like… .”
“Yeah, that’s definitely not the appearance of a living person.”
“Ha, but how can a dead person move?”
It was when Mark, nervous, licked his parched lips.
Phew-
Just as the man began to scream again, the shard of glass embedded deep in his neck came out with a hiss.
But the problem came after that.
A small amount of black liquid spurted out from where the piece of glass had fallen and entered Mark’s mouth.
“What the hell!”
Mark spat and took a step back.
But a terrible bloody smell was already emanating from my throat where I had already swallowed saliva.
Wheein! Wheein!
At that moment, the sirens of several ambulances blared loudly simultaneously.
“Let’s step back for now.”
Mark led Andrew into the crowd.
What appeared to be paramedics haphazardly stopped an ambulance at an intersection paralyzed by an accident and then rushed to the scene of the accident.
Mark’s eyes, looking at them, became sharp.
“They are not medical personnel.”
“What does that mean?”
“Those people are not normal medical staff.”
Where Mark pointed, several people were surrounding the crime scene with a makeshift fence with curtains.
It seemed like they were putting more effort into sealing off the scene than into rescuing people.
And then soon, an unintelligible, urgent Japanese began to be exchanged between them.
Meanwhile, the strange voice of the man in the ambulance also leaked out.
“Andrew, can you understand what they’re saying?”
“Well, I don’t get it because you’re talking too fast… Wait a minute. It says, ‘Move quickly,’ ‘Don’t let anyone see you,’ and ‘Tie yourself up completely.’”
“There’s definitely something here. Andrew, follow me.”
Mark, who had been stepping back, walked towards the ambulance they had arrived in.
“Where are you going?”
Mark ignored Andrew’s words and went straight to the driver’s seat, opening the door without warning.
The face of the man in the driver’s seat was filled with embarrassment at Mark’s bold actions.
“Andrew, please interpret what I say from now on.”
Mark said, looking straight at the man.
“You’re not medical personnel. Come on!”
“Oh, yes.”
As Andrew hurried to translate Mark’s words, the man’s face turned ashen.
“They ask us who we are.”
Instead of answering, Mark took out his wallet and handed over an ID card with the World Health Organization logo on it.
“Ask where these cars are going. Ask if they are going to the University Hospital of Tokyo.”
As Andrew interpreted, the man’s anxious eyes looked around.
Mark was frustrated by the man’s behavior of only looking around without answering, so he tried to repeat the same question. But the man roughly closed the door and locked it.
“I think I know where we’re going.”
“Mark, but is it okay for us to get involved like this?”
“Does this look like a typical traffic accident to you?”
“Not really… but he could have a problem with his vocal cords, or he could be an epileptic with a skin disease. And to be precise, we’re not licensed medical professionals.”
“Andrew, where did you say you were from?”
“It’s Canada… … .”
“Is that how they transport epileptic patients with vocal cord problems or skin diseases in Canada? They have to be tied up so that no one can see them. And even though a sharp piece of glass pierced their throat, they didn’t show any sign of pain. And what was that black liquid that flowed out instead of blood?”
Andrew frowned for a moment at Mark’s words, then turned his gaze towards the ambulances just leaving the scene of the incident.
“Hey, Mark? There’s no license plate on your car.”
“what?”
“Those cars don’t have license plates.”
Sure enough, as Andrew had said, a line of ambulances without license plates were passing through the intersection.
* The characters, place names, and groups appearing in this work are fictitious and have nothing to do with reality.
Infected people
Prologue 3
Early morning on the fourth day of the virus outbreak.
Tokyo.
Mark, angry at the lukewarm response from the European branch, spent the entire previous day stirring up the major institutions in Japan.
But strangely enough, no one tried to help, and only showed a negative reaction.
Not only the police station, the fire station, but even the major broadcasting stations refused to listen to Mark.
No, rather than ignoring the story because it was too hard to believe, it was more like they were avoiding the topic.
But rather, that appearance made Mark convinced that there was something there.
If you can’t become a major, you have no choice but to go to a minor.
Because there are always runners-up aiming for the top spot.
Before I knew it, the dawn sky had become a dark blue color.
At the meeting place, a woman who appeared to be a reporter was waiting for Mark.
Mark deliberately did not reveal the details of the tip.
Because even the mere mention of it made him hang up the phone and leave the room, we couldn’t even have a proper conversation.
Then we have no choice but to use another method.
After exchanging brief greetings, the two sat down in a nearby park.
The woman asked directly.
“So… what do you want to report?”
“Before that, let’s make one promise.”
“Let me hear it first. I don’t want to be someone who breaks promises for no reason.”
“You are a journalist with a sense of professionalism.”
Mark nodded as he looked around to see if there was anyone there.
“Okay, turn on the recorder. Let’s begin.”
As the woman took the recorder out of her bosom, Mark slowly began to tell his story.
But from the moment the paramedics appeared, the woman’s face turned pale.
“Who did you tell this story to?”
“I went to the police station, the fire station, and finally the major broadcasting stations, but they didn’t even listen. I think the Japanese government is trying to cover up this. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have organized and systematically acted like this.”
The woman fiddled with her fingertips as if she was worried, then quickly turned off the recorder and stood up.
“I have to go.”
“Hey! This is different from the first time.”
“If… as you claim, our government is systematically covering this up, then you won’t be safe. Neither will I. I’m sorry, I have a family to take care of.”
“Do you only care about your family? Do you care what happens to the world? If that’s the case, you shouldn’t have become a journalist! If you keep your mouths shut, who will tell the world about this?”
“If you want to discuss professional ethics, go to the classroom.”
“While I’m going to class, you can go buy sunglasses for your family. After all, you won’t be able to tell if something is real or not even if you look ahead!”
The woman who was turning around stopped.
“What do you want me to do? This is beyond my capabilities.”
“Isn’t there a single conscientious boss at your broadcasting station?”
“That doesn’t mean the problem will be solved. Even a small article like that will be buried in an instant.”
“Live! There’s live broadcasting. Instead of writing an article, you bring it directly to the anchor. When is the live news? I can help you with that.”
When Mark asked excitedly, the woman hesitated for a moment and then checked the time.
“It starts in an hour… but I can’t get in there and I have no way to tell. As for the anchors I know… … .”
“Why? Is there anyone who can do it?”
“Don’t talk to me for a moment. Let me think.”
The woman, who had been thinking for a while, quickly made a phone call to someone.
* * *
Cars traveling on the road at speeds far exceeding the speed limit during rush hour.
It was so thrilling to the point where it wouldn’t have been strange if an accident happened at any moment, as I was dodging the cars around me as if I was performing a stunt.
Inside the car, there was Mark, sweating profusely as he turned the steering wheel, and a woman writing a manuscript with her laptop open.
The woman kept checking her watch and urging Mark on.
“Is this all you can do? Keep going!”
“Are you crazy? If we keep going like this, we’ll end up dying first.”
“Either way, they die the same, so why are you joking all of a sudden? Just keep talking. So what happened next? Someone making animal noises in the ambulance.”
“I’m busy driving… Why don’t you just turn the recorder back on?”
Mark kept complaining because he had to drive and conduct interviews at the same time.
“Then shall we stop?”
A woman pretending to cover her laptop.
Mark had no choice.
“Oh, this is it. Anyway, even though there was a piece of glass stuck in his neck, he didn’t seem to feel any pain. He kept coming out and trying to attack us… and most importantly, even though the piece of glass was deeply embedded, he turned his head around as if nothing had happened. What’s surprising is that blood only spurted out from the wound for a moment, and it didn’t continue to spurt out like it would in a living person.”
“Like a living person? Does that mean the man was dead?”
“I don’t know. At least that’s what it looked like to me, but I have to report it accurately… … .”
“You don’t need to be precise. Just say what you see and feel. The more provocative it is, the better.”
Mark, who was about to say something, frowned and glanced at her.
“As expected, a reporter is a reporter. Yes, it was definitely a dead person.”
“I can’t believe it. So what happened?”
“Soon after, ambulances arrived one after another, and what looked like paramedics got out. Then they made a passage by hitting the wall and carried the living body to another car. It was clear that they were going to Tokyo University Hospital.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
Mark let out a small sigh.
“I had a brief conversation with the driver sitting in the ambulance. My successor, who speaks Japanese, served as an interpreter, but when I asked if he was going to the University of Tokyo Hospital, his face darkened and he closed the door. Above all… .”
“More than anything?”
“Those ambulances didn’t have license plates.”
“… That’s ridiculous.”
The woman continued writing her manuscript with a look of bewilderment at the feast of unbelievable stories.
“Here it is. Stop it now.”
“Here… … .”
Mark’s eyes widened as he looked up at the building.
Because it was the building of a major broadcasting station that I had visited not long ago.
“I’ve already been here. No one believed me.”
“I’m like a regular person like you, sir. I go because there’s a line. I did my internship here.”
“Can I go with you?”
“Do you have anything to do? Just park your car behind me and watch the scoreboard.”
With those words, the woman got out of the car, grabbed her laptop, and ran into the broadcasting station.
Mark, who had been blankly staring at the woman’s back, soon parked his car carelessly and ran to the intersection in front of the building.
On the large electronic billboard at the crowded intersection, advertisements were running one after another ahead of the live news broadcast.
There are about 20 minutes left until the live broadcast.
Mark’s lips began to dry up in anxiety.
How much time has passed like that?
Mark, who was constantly checking his watch, saw a black van enter his field of vision.
The van drove up the sidewalk and parked right up against the entrance to the building.
Then, people wearing black suits began to get out of the car one by one.
People rushing into the building, as if something urgent is going on.
Mark looked at the sight and instinctively knew something was wrong.
It was then that the phone rang.
When Mark tried to call the woman, she called him first.
“Into the broadcasting station now… … .”
“Mark! Get out of Japan now!”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“This is beyond our control. All these people are connected to the government. Take my car and go to the airport. This is the only way to get you safe.”
“Damn it! I can’t go alone. I have to save you somehow… … .”
“Don’t be stubborn! Mark said that there are things that are as important as family. Right now, Mark is the only one who can tell you the truth. There’s no more time to talk. Next time, next time, let’s talk again. Okay.”
Stop.
The phone call ended with those words.
Mark, who was hurriedly getting into the car, decided to follow the van.
Just as I was about to step on the accelerator, a woman’s voice echoed in my head.
Her request that she be the only one who can tell the truth.
Mark groaned in frustration and just hit the poor steering wheel.
‘What the hell is going on!’
I felt so suffocated that I thought my insides would burst.
I couldn’t believe that with so many people and so much media everywhere, there was nowhere to turn for help.
He checked the flight on his smartphone.
My return flight was late in the afternoon, and there were only a few seats left.
The moment I was about to press the screen with my finger to reserve two seats, a phone call came out of nowhere.
It was Andrew.
“Where are you?”
“Pack your bags now.”
“Yes? Right now?”
“Yes. I have to go back to Switzerland. Right now.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“It’s too complicated to explain everything, so just know that. Don’t ask me anything else. Trust me and follow me, because it’s important.”
“… Okay, if Mark says so, then there must be a reason. Did you check the plane?”
“I might be able to find out more quickly if you hang up the phone.”
“Oh, yes. But Mark, is it okay?”
Mark took a moment to catch his breath and then answered.
“Oh, it’s okay. I’m doing this to get better. I have to make a reservation, so hang up for now. Get ready as quickly as possible and come down.”
Mark hung up the phone and used the time his car was stopped for a traffic light to log back into the airport website. However, when he checked the screen, his eyebrows furrowed.
There were three or four seats left until just now, but now there is only one left.
“Damn it! When things don’t work out, even the plane is acting up.”
A torrent of profanity poured out of Mark’s mouth.
* * *
The evening of the fourth day of the infection outbreak.
Passenger flight to Zurich via Hong Kong.
Mark, who was looking out the dark window, tossed and turned with discomfort spreading to his chest.
In the end, I had to board the plane alone, leaving Andrew behind, because there was only one ticket left.
Now that I was convinced that the Japanese government was hiding something, I had no choice but to return to Switzerland quickly.
It was out of a strong desire to reveal the truth to the world as soon as possible.
However, what was on my mind was that the unknown events currently happening in Japan might also harm Andrew.
‘What happened to her?’
Her request came back to Mark’s mind as he was quietly fiddling with his smartphone screen.
The image of a man in an overlapping ambulance follows.
No matter how much I thought about it, that person wasn’t a living person.
For a moment, I remembered the time when I was being educated about hypothetical viruses that could break out in the future.
At the time, there was a side story that dealt with an unknown area called the ‘zombie virus’ or ‘rage virus’.
At that time, not only I but also my colleagues felt like they were just watching a short film.
But not now.
The appearance and behavior of the person who spat into his own mouth in Tokyo was eerily similar to what was seen in the video.
‘So am I infected?’
The fishy smell still lingered in my mouth.
Not only that, but at some point I could feel my body rhythm clearly changing.
Apparently everything was fine until the plane took off.
Dizzy feeling that makes your eyes spin, and your breathing gradually becomes more rapid.
Along with my forehead slowly growing hot, I was also experiencing terrible muscle pain.
Why do I feel like I shouldn’t go to Switzerland like this?
If you really are infected with a virus… … .
If this is what is commonly called a ‘zombie virus’… … .
“Excuse me, sir. Are you experiencing any inconvenience?”
While Mark was thinking about this and that, a flight attendant who had been watching him approached him cautiously.
“I feel a little dizzy. I’m okay now.”
“Have you often experienced similar symptoms in your daily life?”
“No, no, it’s really okay. If you need anything, I’ll let you know.”
“Okay. Then have a nice trip.”
As the flight attendant, who had been looking down at Mark’s pale face, forced a smile and disappeared, he felt the gaze of the man sitting right next to him.
In fact, not only that, but other passengers were also quite uncomfortable.
Having a patient sitting right next to you on a long-haul flight.
Above all, Mark’s condition did not appear to be simply dizzy.
Mark closed his eyes, trying to avoid the gaze of those around him.
Then, extreme trepidation came over me and I touched my forehead again.
‘Do you have a fever?’
My hands were so hot that I couldn’t gauge their body temperature.
Mark shook his head as he pondered what diseases might exhibit these symptoms.
Actually, Mark knew too.
The man she encountered at the scene of a traffic accident had a problem with his blood, and it was causing problems in her own body as well.
He lifted his hand with difficulty and checked his wristwatch.
Approximately 44 hours had passed since the accident occurred.
‘Is it the incubation period? Why did something go wrong on the plane…?’
The words that had been floating around in my head suddenly dispersed like smoke.
Suddenly no words come to mind.
I couldn’t even remember what I was thinking just now.
I felt nauseous.
‘Bathroom, I have to go to the bathroom.’
ping-
When I got up from my seat, it felt like my whole world was turned upside down.
Mark slowly took one step at a time, his hand on the seat head cover.
Luckily, the bathroom was empty.
The mirror was cloudy, perhaps because of the moisture.
I tried wiping it with my sleeve, but the result was the same.
No, it wasn’t the mirror that was blurry, it was Mark’s vision.
I shook my head vigorously, and my blurry vision suddenly cleared up.
The image of myself reflected in the mirror entered my barely clear field of vision.
It took me quite some time to come to terms with his strange appearance.
A dark blood vessel ran along my collarbone, down my Adam’s apple, and down to my cheekbone.
I raised my hand and felt it slowly.
It was rough to the touch, and it seemed as if it was going to break through the skin.
That wasn’t the end.
Something pitch black was trying to flow through my blood vessels and reach my eyes.
Unless Mark was crazy, it was clear that the pitch-black thing was still moving.
I felt around with my hand, tracing the direction it was heading.
I tried to grab my skin like a crazy person, but there was nothing I could do.
By the time the nameless thing passed his eyes, went through his ears, and disappeared into the hair on the back of his head, Mark had completely lost his vision.
thud!
Mark lost his balance and hit his head while trying to sit on the toilet.
I felt myself slowly fading away.
“What’s going on? Are you okay?”
As soon as there was a knock on the bathroom door, the flight attendant’s urgent voice was heard.
But Mark was no longer in a position to answer.
Infected people
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