RED AND THE APOCALYPSE Chapter 55 — The Third Week Part 1
One week before the bridge attack…
Third Week of the Apocalypse.
The engines roared as two battered trucks tore down the ruined highway at full speed, their tires screaming against the asphalt as they swerved between abandoned vehicles. The road ahead was a nightmare. Cars had been left scattered across every lane—some smashed against one another, others abandoned in the middle of the road with their doors hanging open. Every few seconds, the trucks had to change direction to avoid another wreck.
And then there were the infected.
They wandered across the highway in scattered groups, stumbling between the vehicles and occasionally throwing themselves toward the speeding trucks.
The drivers didn't slow down.
There was no room for hesitation.
The two trucks pushed forward, their engines straining as they fought through the chaos.
Inside the first truck, Natsuki kept both hands firmly on the steering wheel, his eyes locked on the road ahead. Nezuko sat beside him in the front passenger seat, her seatbelt secured across her chest. In the back, Tokita sat beside Mira, watching the road through the windshield.
Then a faint breeze slipped through the vehicle.
Tokita's hair moved slightly.
He frowned.
Another gust followed, stronger than the first. He could feel the temperature changing.
"Something's wrong."
Mira turned toward him. "What?"
"The weather."
Tokita reached toward the window and rolled it down slightly. Wind rushed into the vehicle as he leaned closer, allowing the cold air to hit his face while he looked outside.
The sky had changed.
Dark clouds were gathering in the distance, spreading across the horizon like a massive wall.
Mira immediately noticed what he was doing.
"Tokita, put that back up."
Tokita glanced at her. "I'm fine."
"That's not what I said. Put it back up."
He gave a small sigh. "Don't worry. If I see anything coming toward us, I'll pull back immediately."
Mira frowned. "That's exactly what worries me."
Tokita ignored the comment and continued looking outside. The wind was becoming stronger. The clouds were moving faster, and something about the sky didn't feel right.
Then Tokita's expression changed.
He looked upward.
The clouds were becoming darker by the second.
Slowly, he rolled the window back up.
Mira watched him. "What is it?"
Tokita reached for the radio.
Click.
He pressed the transmission button.
"Everyone, listen."
Static briefly filled the speakers.
"The weather is changing."
The radio crackled inside both trucks.
Kaito's voice came through from the other vehicle.
"We noticed."
Tokita looked toward the windshield. "I know our goal is to reach Tokyo as quickly as possible to avoid making any contact with an EMISSARY, but we need to think about this. Driving through weather like this is dangerous enough under normal circumstances."
He paused.
"If that turns into a storm, it'll be even worse."
Nezuko nodded from the front seat.
"He's right."
She looked through the windshield at the darkening sky.
"We don't even know what we're dealing with yet. It could just be ordinary rain..."
Her voice trailed off.
"...or something much worse."
A voice suddenly came through the radio.
"It's a storm."
Natsuki.
Everyone went quiet.
Tokita looked toward the radio.
Natsuki continued, his voice unusually certain.
"And not a small one. A huge storm is coming."
Kaito immediately responded from the other truck.
"How do you know that?"
There was a brief silence.
Then Natsuki answered simply:
"Gut feeling."
Kaito stared ahead.
"...What?"
"Gut feeling."
Kaito let out a confused breath.
"So we're supposed to believe you because you have a gut feeling?"
Natsuki's expression immediately hardened.
"What the hell, man?"
His voice rose.
"I'm just saying what I feel. Why do you have to make such a big deal out of it?"
Kaito's eyebrows tightened.
"I'm not making a big deal out of anything. I'm asking a question."
"Yeah, and you're making it sound stupid."
"Because you're giving me a gut feeling as an answer!"
Natsuki gritted his teeth.
"What's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me?" Kaito's voice became sharper. "Why are you always angry? Can't you just calm down and answer a question normally?"
Natsuki opened his mouth.
"Dude, what the actual fu—"
"Both of you, cut it out."
Aoi's voice cut through the radio.
Silence.
She continued, "Seriously. Stop arguing."
Neither of them responded.
Aoi sighed. "We're in the middle of an apocalypse, we're surrounded by infected, and we're driving straight toward an incoming storm. Do we really need to fight with each other right now?"
Kaito remained silent.
Natsuki clicked his tongue.
"And besides..." Aoi looked toward the darkening sky. "...Natsuki might actually be right."
Kaito glanced toward the windshield.
Aoi continued, "Look at the clouds. The wind is getting stronger too. The temperature's dropping."
Natsuki looked outside.
"Exactly."
His voice was calmer now.
"I told you."
Kaito sighed.
"Fine."
"Good," Aoi replied. "Now let's just focus on getting through this."
The radio went quiet again.
For several seconds, the only sounds inside the vehicles were the engines and the tires grinding against the road.
Mira slowly turned toward Tokita.
"So..."
Tokita glanced at her.
"Is this how you boys always argue?"
Tokita blinked.
"What?"
Mira smiled. "You heard me."
She gestured toward the radio.
"Are they always like that?"
Tokita looked away.
"Not always."
Mira raised an eyebrow.
"Sometimes?"
Tokita hesitated.
"...Sometimes."
Mira laughed softly.
"Is it because they don't get along?"
Tokita thought for a moment.
"It's not really like that."
He looked toward the radio.
"When it comes to Kaito and Natsuki, those two rarely argue, so they'll probably patch things up with each other. As for Kaito personally, I don't really have a problem with him."
Mira looked surprised.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Tokita leaned back slightly.
"Actually, when we first met, we fought."
Mira's eyes widened.
"You two fought?"
Tokita nodded.
"Yeah."
Mira smiled.
"Wow."
She tilted her head.
"Let me guess."
Tokita looked at her.
"You won, right?"
"Yeah."
Mira laughed.
"I knew it."
Tokita smiled faintly.
"But it wasn't really a serious fight. Kaito wasn't trying to kill me or anything. He was testing me."
"Testing you?"
"Yeah."
Tokita nodded.
"They wanted to know how strong I was before I joined them."
Mira's expression softened with understanding.
"So that was their way of deciding whether they could trust you."
"At first, yeah. Pretty much."
"And after that?"
Tokita shrugged.
"Kaito and I got along fine. We haven't really had any serious problems since."
Mira smiled.
"That's actually nice."
Tokita nodded.
"Yeah."
Then his expression changed slightly.
"But Natsuki..."
He paused.
"That's a completely different story."
Inside the truck, Natsuki's hands remained firmly on the steering wheel. He had heard every word Tokita said from the back seat.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
He didn't say anything.
Instead, he glanced toward the rearview mirror.
Through it, he could see Tokita sitting in the back beside Mira.
Natsuki stared at him for a moment.
Then—
Hmph.
He looked back toward the road and continued driving.
Mira noticed the exchange and looked at Tokita.
"Okay."
Tokita turned toward her.
"Okay?"
"You're going to explain that one."
Tokita sighed.
Before he could answer, he pressed the radio button.
"Natsuki."
Natsuki's voice came back almost immediately.
"What?"
"Don't get angry about what I'm about to say."
A short silence followed.
Then Nezuko spoke calmly from the front seat.
"It's fine."
She turned around slightly and glanced at Tokita.
"We're all friends here."
She paused.
"If there's a problem, it's better that we talk about it instead of keeping everything bottled up inside."
Her voice became more serious.
"That way, we can understand each other and resolve it before it becomes an internal conflict."
Her voice and the words that came from her were calm, reassuring, and sincere—not just toward Tokita, but toward the entire group.
Tokita remained silent for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"Yeah."
He looked toward Mira.
"She's right."
Tokita took a breath.
"As for Natsuki..."
He looked toward the front of the truck.
"We really don't get along."
Natsuki didn't react.
Tokita continued.
"From the first day we met, I could tell something was off. I don't know exactly what his problem with me is."
He paused.
"But it feels like he has some kind of grudge against me."
Natsuki remained silent.
No argument.
No sarcastic remark.
Nothing.
He simply kept driving.
Nezuko noticed Natsuki's silence. So did everyone else.
It was strange.
For someone as quick-tempered as Natsuki, his lack of response was almost more noticeable than an angry one.
Mira looked back at Tokita.
"Why do you think that?"
Tokita opened his mouth.
But before he could answer—
"KRAAAAKKABOOM!!!'There was a huge thunder sound from the sky.
Above them, the clouds continued to gather.
And somewhere beyond the horizon...
The storm was coming.