Untouched by the Outbreak

Ryo had just returned from the beach, the salty air still lingering around him as he navigated his way back into town. Driving through familiar streets, he noticed Ken heading toward the stream, a small entourage of female zombies following him. With a smirk, Ryo considered offering Ken some of the seafood he'd gathered—if Ken had any appetite for food beyond his usual preferences.

Sayako signaled her desire to join, her pale form darting out in front, while Sachiko and Yumi slipped quietly from the back of the truck. Ryo's two Strider guards, who had been stationed in the rear of the vehicle, leapt down, seamlessly blending into the shadows as they began their patrol around the town.

Curiosity sparked, Ryo followed Ken's trail, his steps quiet as he moved with Sachiko and Yumi. They eventually spotted him lying by the stream, his head resting on the lap of one of his female zombies, speaking softly, almost… tenderly. Ryo raised an eyebrow, nodding to Sachiko and Yumi to stay silent as they inched closer to hear Ken's murmured words.

What they overheard struck them all to the core.

Ken's voice trembled, a rare softness carrying his words to them in the stillness. They saw the glistening of tears as he looked into the vacant gaze of the female zombie.

"Right, Akiko?" Ken's voice cracked, almost a whisper. "I promised we'd be together, till the time I die."

Sachiko pressed her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief. Yumi exchanged a glance with Ryo, who remained stone-faced, but his gaze darkened as he continued to listen. The raw vulnerability they witnessed in Ken—the unwavering bond, his clinging to a past life—revealed a truth none of them had expected to see.

Ken's desperate words, spoken to a figure now far removed from what she once was, lingered painfully in the air. And for Ryo, who had long since forsaken any ties to a world before the outbreak, this display was a reminder of the fractured humanity they all carried in different ways.

Ryo stood there, his expression as unwavering as ever, his usual cold demeanor betraying none of the conflict stirring beneath the surface. He had seen and experienced far too much to let something like this unsettle him—but even he couldn't ignore the weight of the scene unfolding before him. Ken's sobs pierced the quiet of the abandoned town, a sound that seemed foreign in a world filled with death and decay.

Ken, still unaware of Ryo's presence, clung to the female zombie as if she could somehow bring him the comfort of the past—before everything had changed. His face buried in her cold, lifeless shoulder, he whispered her name: Akiko.

"I'm good at keeping promises, right, Akiko? Right?" Ken's voice faltered, the words breaking as a fresh wave of grief overtook him. His fingers curled around her unfeeling skin, holding on as though sheer force of will could somehow reverse the passage of time.

The scene was haunting—Ken, a man clinging desperately to a memory, unable to let go of the past, even as he knew that the woman he once loved had long since slipped away. Her body, once warm, was now as cold and unyielding as the world around them. And yet, Ken continued to hold on, crying as if her presence was the last tether keeping him from being completely swallowed by the desolation that surrounded them.

Ryo stood still, his face as firm as ever, his eyes cold. He hadn't anticipated this. He had always seen Ken as a nuisance, a survivor who had, for better or worse, carved out a corner for himself in this twisted world. But now, witnessing this raw, emotional display, Ryo understood the depth of Ken's fixation. It wasn't just about the physical connection with these women—these zombies—it was a desperate attempt to hold on to something real, something familiar. A piece of the life he had lost.

Sachiko and Yumi, standing just behind Ryo, were not as indifferent. Both women's eyes were wide, their expressions softening as they watched Ken in his vulnerable state. It was clear to them now that Akiko—the female zombie Ken clung to—was not just another of his trophies. She was his past, his lost love. The grief that radiated from Ken was palpable, and it tugged at something deep within them, something they, too, had long buried.

Tears welled up in Sachiko's eyes as she watched, unable to suppress the empathy she felt for Ken in this moment of raw humanity. Yumi, too, stood in stunned silence, her thoughts racing as she processed what she had just witnessed.

For the first time, they saw Ken not as the man who used women—no, zombies—as tools, but as a man broken by the loss of the one thing he could not save. A man trying to hold on to the last remnants of a world that was long gone.

The others—Ken's so-called "harem"—stood in the background, watching in silent obedience, their expressions blank, resigned. They were there because they had been claimed by him, but in this moment, it was clear that none of them could replace Akiko.

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Ken's sobs softened, but he held the female zombie tighter, his voice barely above a whisper. "You're still here… still with me," he murmured, as if trying to convince himself that his promises could somehow transcend the harsh reality of what they had become. He hugged her closer, not wanting to let go, as if she were the last anchor to a world that no longer existed.

Ryo stood silently, his mind calculating, as always. He had seen many things in this post-apocalyptic world—loss, desperation, madness—but this was different. Ken's need for these female zombies, his emotional attachment, was a reflection of the profound isolation that plagued every survivor.

Ryo's gaze flicked toward Sachiko and Yumi, noting the tears in their eyes. He understood their empathy—they saw the humanity in Ken's actions, a fragile thread that tied him to a past they had all tried to escape. But Ryo wasn't like them. He didn't waste energy on sentimentality.

Still, even Ryo couldn't deny the weight of the moment, the realization that Ken's obsession with these zombies wasn't just about dominance or survival—it was about grief. The kind of grief that consumed a person from the inside out, until there was nothing left but a hollow shell, clinging to something that could never be restored.

Ryo stood silently, observing the raw scene before him. Ken held the female zombie as though she were still the girl he once knew, clinging to her with a desperation that defied the reality of her lifeless state. As he watched, Ryo felt a pang, a memory buried so deep that it rarely surfaced.

Ryo, too, had once held people dear—Sakura and Aiko. They weren't turned into zombies, but lost to him forever, killed by government soldiers in their ruthless pursuit to capture him. His rare immunity, the ability to walk unharmed among zombies, had made him a target, a specimen to be hunted and controlled. Sakura and Aiko had tried to protect him, paid the ultimate price for their loyalty, and were taken from him, not by a virus but by bullets and blood.

Watching Ken hold on to the remnants of his past, Ryo felt the old wounds throb, though he kept his expression still, unreadable. Ken, in his strange way, had honored a promise to stay with the one he loved, to keep her close, even in this nightmarish world. Ryo hadn't been able to protect Sakura and Aiko—not from the government, not from their fate.

Perhaps it was time for him to visit their graves.

No one else knew about them—not Sachiko, not Yumi. It was a part of him he had locked away, a story buried beneath his cold exterior and calculated, unyielding demeanor. It was this grief, this loss, that had turned him into the man he was now. The firm, distant, untouchable survivor.

But now, standing in the shadows with his memories stirred, Ryo couldn't deny it any longer. Ken's loyalty, misplaced as it might seem, had reignited something that Ryo had long forced himself to forget: his own promise, his own past, and the people he had once loved and lost.

"Hey," Ryo called out, a faint smirk touching his lips, but his gaze steady and intense. "Looking real romantic with your harem there, Ken."

Ken jolted, quickly wiping at his face, scrambling to mask the emotions he'd let slip. "Ah… ah, Ryo… hey, man," he stammered, forcing a grin.

"I just got back from the beach. Got a haul of crabs, fish, clams. Thought you might be interested," Ryo said, his tone flat but teasing, his eyes sharp on Ken.

Ken straightened, trying to play it cool. "Gee, thanks, man. I could use a good meal." His gaze drifted past Ryo, catching sight of Sachiko and Yumi standing close by. He raised an eyebrow. "These your girls?"

The look in Ryo's eyes shifted instantly, his face hardening as his hand tightened around his MP5. "Don't you even think about it."

Ken immediately put his hands up, laughing nervously. "Chill, man… chill! Just kidding." He shot an exaggerated grin, glancing at the two women, then back to Ryo. "I wouldn't mess with a guy who's got a private army of zombies and two deadly beauties by his side."

Ryo's expression didn't soften. "Good," he replied, his voice calm but laced with a warning.

Ken chuckled awkwardly, dropping his hands. "Anyway… thanks for the offer. My, uh, girls and I could use a little change from the usual, you know?" He gave a small nod toward the silent, staring members of his "harem," the ones who never left his side.

Ryo's grip relaxed on his weapon. "Just keep your end of the deal, Ken," he said, still serious, before handing over a bundle of the fresh seafood. "And don't forget it."

Ken nodded quickly, still a bit shaken by the sudden shift in Ryo's mood. "You got it, man. Promise."

Ryo turned to Sachiko and Yumi, gripping both of them by the hair, pulling them close as he looked straight at Ken. "Don't even think about it," he said, his voice low but loaded with menace, making sure Ken understood. He glanced between them and Ken. "These two are my girls. You have yours."

Ken blinked, caught off guard by the intensity in Ryo's voice, the sudden possessive display that left no room for misinterpretation. He raised his hands in surrender. "Understood, man. Loud and clear."

Just then, Sayako appeared behind Ryo, her silent presence seeming almost ghostly. Ryo caught Ken's gaze drifting toward her and turned, his stare fierce as he pointed to the loyal zombie at his back. "And this one? She's mine too. You can enjoy as many as you want here, but remember—she's off-limits."

Ken swallowed, nodding quickly. "Got it," he replied, not daring to challenge the claim. Ryo's intense, unyielding gaze said it all.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

( End of Chapter )