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Chapter 8: Uncertain Future
🕑 Added 2025-05-06 11:55:01 +0000 UTCI don't have any useful trivia about birds. I just know that crows are scavengers who eat corpses. I don't know if these giant monster birds are like crows, but I'll consider them as such.
Doesn't mean they act like crows. These large birds have been actively hunting zombies. It's like they become some sort of hunting bird instead of a scavenging one. I really don't know. Maybe crows hunt on their own?
Regardless, I have to be fast. Those birds wouldn't just swoop in when I open my window, right?
I really hope so, as I open the window slightly and then start lighting up the cloth acting as a wick for my molotov. Besides me are five bottles neatly arranged on top of a chair. I waited for a bit before taking two and just throwing them out of my window. Without checking for the result, I quickly did it to my three others before immediately closing my windows and the curtains.
After I'm done doing that, I hear a subtle shattering sound. It echoed at least two times more before everything became silent.
I didn't rest on my feet. After waiting for a few seconds, I peek outside once more, peering my eyes in the direction where I can see those birds still perched on the rooftop of that nearby building.
I can't really see them clearly, so I use my phone to zoom in on them and watch their reaction carefully. Their faces look at the direction below where I am, and a few of them are tilting their heads creepily as they stare unblinkingly in that direction.
Other than that, no one looked in my direction.
"... Phew..."
The warm sensation entering my body told me the results of that throw. It was another addition to my mana. I felt fortunate that they hadn't noticed me yet.
Though it told me that they could be attracted to sounds, so I couldn't just blindly throw my molotovs. I'll have to limit myself by throwing multiple molotovs once a day.
It slows my mana grind, but that doesn't matter. So long as they don't look at me, I can just build up more mana until I have enough to just escape in any situation.
Now, I have to keep this up. I just need to constantly check their activities and be discreet whenever I throw my molotovs. If I do things right, I might not even need to leave my room!
With hope blossoming in my heart despite my fears, tension leaves my body. There are still concerns about the future, but currently, my life isn't threatened yet. I'll have to take advantage of this lull while I still have the chance!
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I spent the entire day monitoring the birds till the skies darkened. Then I hoped they had not seen the light in my room as I turned on many power lamps to brighten my surroundings. Even when I am alone in my room, I still require light. Just leaving my apartment in complete darkness makes me nervous now that I am alone and monsters prowl everywhere.
I hope they don't notice the light. The curtains of my window are quite thick and are useful for concealing the light within my room, but I am unsure if they fully cover the light. No one has electricity in this city anymore, so the outside was totally dark. I couldn't see anything beyond the sight of my windows. So I think any light sources will be noticeable to anyone from outside if even one small opening of it seeps through to the window.
I don't have a way to prevent that.
At the same time, just turning off the light is not an option. That's scary!
So here I am, on my second night of dreading those birds while I lie on my bed. A golf club is just leaning on the wall, easily reachable in my position. I also have a knife lying on top of the chair's seat just beside my bed.
I don't want to use a molotov inside my room. I don't want to accidentally burn anything in my room. There are a lot of flammable objects in my room, like the cabinets and clothes scattered around on the floor. If those birds suddenly attack me, even if the walls are quite sturdy, I fear they might be able to break through them with their beaks. Fire is a great way to scare them away, but once again, this room is a fire hazard. I don't want to risk it.
Well, if they are outside, then I might be able to hit them with the molotov, but I don't think I can throw anything at them calmly if they come at me. I've seen how they hunt. They are incredibly fast!
So I just have to hope that they don't care. I sincerely pray that they don't come here!
Those are my prayers and dreams as I squirmed around my bed, disturbed at the thought of those birds, which added to my stress about this apocalypse.
... I am grateful for the powers, but I hope I awakened with this power during a more peaceful time.
_______________________
Before I knew it, the morning had come. I barely managed to get a wink of sleep once more. The thought of those birds suddenly swooping in while I'm asleep forced me awake from my slumber.
"... Ugh... I hate this!"
Even as I grumbled, I sat up from my bed and peeked through the window. The birds are still roosting on top of the rooftops. I can see some bones and flesh gathered around the edges of the roof in a circular pattern. They were bundled up as if it was a nest. It was a disturbing sight, to say the least.
Thankfully, they seemed unconcerned about me, so I decided to start throwing molotov for this day before continuing on with my activities.
I jump into another dimension, and then take the container of homemade molotov at the corner of my room, and then take the lighter at my dining table before yanking myself back to my starting point in the original world. After that, I started prepping five molotov cocktails and then opened my windows wide before throwing them as quickly as possible.
After that, I closed the windows, cleaned up my mess, and then checked the reaction of the birds. I saw them looking below the ground once more with interest. No one looked in my direction even as I waited for a while.
"Phew... another successful day."
Feeling satisfied, I started my usual routine. Cleaning myself, doing some light exercise, and then boiling some water on my induction cooker, preparing both boiled eggs and instant ramen for my food.
... It's been a month. Eating the same thing over and over is making me feel sick. I know I should be grateful that I have something to eat, but it's still the same instant ramen and egg.
"... Eugh! It stinks!"
Okay, the egg looks strange now. I can't eat this!
Right. I almost forgot. Food does get spoiled!
It's been a month since the apocalypse started. I have had these eggs for four weeks now. I've spared one of the duplicated generators for my fridge, but even with that, the egg turned rotten. Even if I can go to alternate dimensions, I don't necessarily increase the shelf life of my food. Duplicating them wouldn't solve my food situation forever!
Well, I still have the cup ramen. There is also that canned tuna in my pantry. I have to duplicate that and eat it later.
I peeked through the windows, and seeing the birds not looking my way, I quickly disposed of my eggs out of the window and immediately closed it once more.
Ugh... This is getting serious.
It is not only about the birds. I also need to consider my food situation. I do not have to be concerned with water. It is only water. It does not expire if I leave it alone. However, food is another issue. Even cup ramen and canned tuna have an expiry date. Fresh food, such as eggs, vegetables, and meat, can rapidly deteriorate if not properly stored!
This is giving me a headache. I thought I was already strapped for life by just staying inside a room and just duplicating stuff with their alternate versions. That's usually what happens to the novels I read, doesn't it?
But nope, this is the real world. No matter how the current situation looks unrealistic, everything happening here is still real. Things expire. Danger lurks everywhere. And I can't just stay inside a room no matter how much power I have!
If only I had a convenient power that let me store anything. Something like a pocket dimension where any objects I put in it were suspended in time. That will be very helpful to me right now!
But no, I can only enter mirror versions of this world. I can't do anything about it!
Dammit! It's only useful at first, but the more I think about it, the more I see that my power wouldn't just trivialize every problem I have!
I don't want to think. I don't like worrying about difficult things. Why did the world turn like this? I hate this!
If only I could just go to another world, become an Isekai protagonist, and live a slow life somewhere with my cheat abilities...
"Okay, focus!"
Tsk. I'm regressing to my delusions again. Stop it. I have to concentrate on my survival!
So food. After a year, I'll have to dispose of my canned tunas and cup ramens. That means, at the maximum, I only have a year left before I am forced to leave this place. It's not just that. Just seeing other food doesn't necessarily mean it can be eaten. Time passed everywhere. So that meant even other food might have expired after a year.
I'll have to find something that I can eat before that time comes! Should I consider farming?
No, I don't even know if plants are safe in this world anymore. What if the vegetable that I planted suddenly mutated into a man-eating plant? I'll be dead before I know it!
"... Isn't this hopeless!?"
I don't know. I don't know anymore!
"... Fine. Whatever. Despairing over it right now won't do anything. I'll have to eat!"
That's right. If this is going to be my last proper meal anyway, then I must feast like a queen. I don't care anymore!
With a clear understanding that I'm essentially in borrowed time due to the food situation, I decided to eat more than what I necessarily can, even though it's early in the morning.
