Chapter 17 – Highway Laughter

  The military jeep roared down the empty highway.

  The infected wandering around the road,Wind rushed past broken guardrails. Abandoned cars sat crooked along the roadside, their windows shattered, paint peeling under months of neglect. Grass had begun reclaiming the asphalt, thin green veins breaking through cracks in the road.

  For the first time in days…

  No screaming.

  No gunfire.

  No monsters.

  Just the hum of the engine.

  Tokita sat in the driver’s seat, eyes steady on the road ahead. The EMP-blocker panel on the dashboard blinked softly, a quiet reassurance that at least this vehicle wouldn’t die on them mid-escape.

  In the passenger seat, Aoi adjusted the radio dial.

  Static.

  Static.

  More static.

  Then suddenly—

  Music.

  Faint. Warped. But unmistakable.

  Everyone froze.

  “…No way,” Natsuki whispered from the backseat.

  Aoi turned the knob carefully.

  The signal cleared slightly, an old pop song crackling through worn-out speakers.

  Nezuko gasped. “Don’t you dare turn that off.”

  “I wasn’t planning to,” Aoi replied, smiling.

  The jeep rolled forward as music—half-dead but stubborn—filled the silence of the apocalypse.

  For a moment, it almost felt normal.

  “By the way,” Kaito said, leaning forward between the seats, “why is Tokita driving again?”

  Tokita didn’t look at him. “dude I know sixteen(16) and all that but come on,it's the apocalypse for f*cks sake."

  Natsuki scoffed. “Im a better driver, I've got more experience."

  “You crashed a bike into a mailbox,” Aoi said calmly.

  Tokita gasped "For real!?, holy sh*t I wish I was there!."

  Natsuki replied angrily “That mailbox attacked me!.”

  Nezuko burst into laughter.

  “It was parked, Natsuki.”kaito replied.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  “God damnit!, okay I made one (1) mistake!."

  Tokita sighed. “okay,okay I get it already, we'll stop laughing now."

  Natsuki immediately leaned back into his seat. “whatever."

  Tokita’s chuckled slowly.

  "Hah,this guy thinks were friends now?” Natsuki muttered.

  An hour later, hunger struck.

  They pulled over briefly near an overturned delivery truck.

  Inside the jeep, ration packs were opened.

  Nezuko stared at the grayish contents of hers.

  “Why does this look like cement?”

  “Protein,” Kaito said confidently.

  “It expired three years ago,” Aoi added after checking the label.

  Everyone stopped chewing.

  Slowly, Nezuko lowered her spoon.

  Tokita stopped eating.

  “…It builds immunity,” kaito said flatly.

  Natsuki blinked. “To what? Life?”

  Nezuko snorted so hard she nearly choked.

  Nezuko, Natsuki and Tokita got up simultaneously without speaking a word,they ran in separate direction's and began to puke...

  Back on the road, the sun began to sink.

  Orange light spilled across the cracked highway, turning the world gold for a brief, beautiful moment.

  Nezuko rested her head lightly against Natsuki's shoulder, watching shadows stretch across empty fields.

  “It almost feels peaceful,” she said quietly.

  Aoi glanced at her. “Yeah.”

  No one mentioned the smell of distant decay riding the wind.

  No one mentioned how quiet was sometimes worse than noise.

  Tokita’s hands tightened slightly on the steering wheel.

  Peace never lasted.

  Suddenly—

  A figure stumbled into the road.

  “Tokita!” Aoi shouted.

  The jeep swerved smoothly.

  A lone infected slammed against the side mirror and tumbled into the grass.

  Nezuko screamed dramatically.

  "See,I told you guys not to let this punk drive!"Natsuki replied annoyed

  Tokita replied "I'm sorry, my bad."

  “Okay , it's Okay just calm down” Kaito spoke.

  “It’s a single zombie."aoi replied.

  Tokita straightened the wheel without slowing.

  “Hey Nezuko sorry for scaring you,I'm really sorry."

  Nezuko Replied "it's okay I'm fine, sorry for overreacting."

  "Nah it's cool."Tokita replied

  Natsuki scoffted "Be more careful next time."

  "One of these days I'm gonna whoop his ass."Tokita muttered.

  As Tokita glanced over the mirror in the jeep, him and Natsuki gazed at each other before giving each other the middle finger.

  Silence.

  Then Nezuko started laughing again.

  Soon, even Aoi and kaito joined in.

  After everything they had seen… after the horror beneath the military base…

  They were still laughing.

  And that felt like a small victory.

  Night fell gradually.

  The headlights carved twin beams through the darkness ahead.

  Inside the jeep, conversation faded into soft murmurs.

  Nezuko yawned.

  Natsuki had already dozed off.

  Aoi watched the road map quietly.

  Tokita drove.

  Alone with his thoughts.

  Section Zero.

  No survivors.

  The words echoed like ghosts.

  He stared at the empty highway stretching endlessly forward.

  “…Yeah,” he muttered to himself. “Sure.”

  High above the city ruins, inside an unfinished concrete tower—

  A man stood near the edge of a shattered floor.

  Calm.

  Composed.

  Behind him, the charred remains of mutated Horde Leaders lay like trophies.

  The vice-captain stepped forward, a faint grin tugging at his lips.

  “The old man confirmed it,” he said cheerfully. “The immune girl is alive.”

  The Boss did not turn.

  “And the ones with her?”

  “Strong. Capable. Not ordinary.”

  A pause.

  “Test them,” the Boss said quietly. “I want their limits, anyone of them that's got talent should be brought back to me, understood.

  The vice-captain’s smile widened slightly.

  “what ever you say Boss man, what about the others that'll be a nuisance?"

  The boss spoke in a cheerful tone"Kill them."

  "What about The girl?" The mysterious man asked.

  “Do not kill her"

  The vice-captain tilted his head,his smile widening.

  “As you command.”

  The Boss finally glanced at him.

  “Question, why'd You disconnected before the old man finished speaking.”

  A small chuckle escaped the vice-captain.

  “No need to worry Boss,He won’t escape us. I know exactly where he is.”

  A dangerous gleam flickered in his eyes.

  “And I have something I’d like to ask him.”

  Silence.

  Then—

  “Take a unit,” the Boss ordered.

  “Yes, boss.”

  Minutes later, engines roared to life.

  Black trucks rolled out from beneath the building.

  Armed men loaded rifles.

  The vice-captain stepped into the front seat, resting his elbow against the window.

  His smile was thin.

  Predatory.

  “Let’s go see what makes you so special… Nezuko.”

  Headlights pierced the night.

  And somewhere on a lonely highway—

  The jeep drove on, unaware.