It doesn't matter, I'm alone here and I have to go up there. Going through the ground and up the stairs to the roof should be the easiest way with the fewest obstacles... besides the small possibility of finding something useful in the building.
Of course, I'm not going to check every apartment on every floor, but if I go there now I should be able to get a general idea of what might be in them by seeing the state of mess/destruction of the place... Possibly.
Reaching the ground floor, I was hit full force with the first mistake of my choice: the smell. It got even worse now that I was at the same height as the zombies; the t-shirt mask didn't help at all.
In desperation, I even stuck pieces of orange up my nose to try to relieve it. Obviously, it didn't help at all.
The second thing was that even though it wasn't as crowded as the gas station area, there were still some zombies here, just more scattered.
[Eliminated, common zombie.]
[Experience gained]
[Eliminated, common zombie.]
[Experience gained]
[Eliminated, common zombie.]
[Experience gained]
A few quick and precise blows to the head with the spear, and the path to the building opened up, but I didn't have time to grab any loot from them. Honestly, I didn't even want to.
Unexpectedly, the gates, both the entrance and the garage, were still intact but closed. Luckily, a quick run and a jump were enough to get into the front yard.
'Inside... Nobody.'
As expected, the problem now is how to get into the building itself to get to the stairs. Well, considering everything, there would be no other way than to break the door or one of the windows.
'Both must have reinforced or at least laminated glass. Wait. If it's laminated, I should be able to cut it.'
Reinforced glass would withstand gunshots; if I tried to use the shadow sphere on it, it would certainly attract the attention of the crowd further ahead, of whoever (or whatever) is inside... No! Wait again, maybe it's not so bad?
'If whoever (or whatever) is inside the building hears and comes to see what's happening, I will not only be able to determine the level of danger of the building itself, but I won't need to worry about the stairs being closed or anything like that!'
Not to mention that if the zombies came here, that's one less thing to worry about when I'm crossing... In fact, if I go around the block making noise to attract them, wouldn't it be possible to risk crawling down a nearly 10-story building?
'...It's better not to even try that.'
It's not just my stubbornness (or resentment towards myself for not thinking of this before) talking, but a calculated analysis.
The risk of me ending up in an ambush while moving isn't low, and I'm not just referring to the monsters. Anyone who's ever seen any apocalyptic movie or series knows that often the greatest danger lies within the species itself; my current situation is a good indication of that.
Secondly, the number of zombies grouped together, plus the noise I'd be making, could attract the unwanted attention of something much stronger that I wouldn't be able to overcome. Which would only worsen an already terrible situation.
And third, to do that I would have to move around a lot. Which would imply physical effort, which would require more frequent deep breaths, and breathing in that air means...
[Skill: Stink Resistance 1 —> 2]
[Experience gained]
Yes, having to endure this stench for longer and in greater quantities.
It hasn't even been 3 minutes since I arrived in the building's courtyard and the skill has already gone from level 0 to level 2. Can you understand how bad and dangerous this smell itself already is?!!!!
Based on all of that, it's best if I just cut the glass and go in.
*zzzip*
Activating my [obsidian claws], I made a circle large enough for me to enter. My claws cut the glass with an ease and silence I hadn't expected, almost a whisper that only I could hear. The problem was...
*Blob. Pofff*
The sound it made when it fell.
*Uuuhhhh uugggf*
*Aaaahhhh waaaáhhhh*
*Wwwaaahhhhh*
*Push push push*
It didn't even take 2 seconds for at least 3 zombies to hear and come towards me and start banging on the gate.
'At least only 3 zombies shouldn't attract that much attention, right?'
I wasn't out there long enough to know. I went in and pushed the glass lid a little to the side, but I didn't put it in the [item box]; there's already too much stuff in there.
As soon as I got in, I blew hard with my nose to get rid of the orange bits, but I kept my makeshift mask on.
Inside the building, there was nothing special. A reception/security room right after the entrance, a small lobby with a small sofa, two chairs, and a coffee table. Everything normal. Except the sofa was all torn up, the chairs were overturned and broken, and the table was overturned against the wall.
'Yeah... Nothing good must have happened here.'
But still, there weren't any signs of a struggle, either on the floor or walls, nor a bloodstain.
'Maybe it was the frenzy of people trying to get out?'
It's possible, but that leads to the question:
'Why would they be so desperate to get out of this building?'
Honestly, I don't want to know. And if the opportunity to learn arises, I'll run upstairs, block the door with a piece of scrap iron, prepare the rope to crawl, put the things back in the item box, and slide down it as fast as I can.
'Hmm, that's a good strategy.'
Moving forward, as expected everything in the lobby was in disarray, empty, and/or broken. I soon found the elevator door, obviously closed and locked, but another elevator had its door open, allowing me to see the darkness of the elevator shaft.
'Sinister, but even useful. If the worst happens, I can jump from here and use the spear or my claws to cushion the fall to the ground floor. After all, from the top floor (9th floor) or the top of the roof to the ground floor, the building would be at least 27 meters high. That would be more than enough height to stabilize myself with my new body.'
Further back, a little hidden, I found the door leading to the stairs, probably an emergency or service door. Inside the slightly narrow ascending corridor, the darkness was almost the same as the elevator shaft, only slightly better because of the occasional points of light from the doors on the other floors.
Except for the door hanging from the frame, I couldn't see any sign of anything out of the ordinary, perhaps because of the light. My eyes could adapt to the darkness faster and better, but the dim light remained irritating to look at. I don't know if I should be frustrated or relieved about it in this case.
With my spear in front, I began to climb carefully but quickly, two steps at a time. Barely three seconds passed and I was already in front of the first-floor door. Just to confirm my suspicions, I decided to see how things were.
As expected, the floor was a mess: overturned trash cans, fallen or broken flowerpots, open doors, others hanging from their hinges, and others strangely closed. These were the ones that worried me the most.
Going to the nearest open door, I peeked inside. Just like the lobby and the hallway, everything was in disarray, but it seemed empty; I couldn't hear anything besides the sound of the wind coming in through the windows.
When I entered, I felt like I was seeing my house the first time I woke up; I had a slightly worse dream. Open cabinets and shelves, refrigerator wide open and empty, pieces of furniture on the floor, torn cushions, a television lying in front of a broken rack, a window intact but missing one of the curtains.
And again, despite the mess and destruction, there wasn't exactly any sign of a struggle. No bloodstains on the floor, walls, or furniture, no bullet holes or even blade marks, except for the pillows—no! They weren't torn with blades, but by hands?!
'Seriously, what happened here?'
It would be a lie to say I wasn't tempted to explore more of the apartment, not to mention the building itself. Luckily, I had a remedy for my curiosity: the responsibility of helping my parents. But just so it wouldn't bother me too much, I decided to at least check the apartments closest to the stairs, just a quick look.
Leaving the ruined apartment behind, I continued my climb.
My quick glances showed that all the apartments were strangely similar. Turned upside down as if they had been looted or there had been a fight inside, but without any marks of violence or looting necessarily.
This continued until I reached a specific floor. As soon as I touched the floor of that floor, I felt something change.
The air suddenly grew heavier and colder, nothing too impactful, but it was like the chill you feel when a cold breeze blows at the end of the afternoon. My ice spear felt even colder in my hand, and the door with the magically enhanced wire seemed to light up slightly, with a little ice vapor starting to escape from the tip.
[MP: 120/145]
My MP had decreased from the "fight" with the caracara, but only to 130, meaning it decreased by another 10. I instinctively sent it to the spear as a form of defense. An instinct I shouldn't even have, but whatever was here forced me to develop it in mere seconds.
Yes, I said whatever was here, because I knew there was definitely something. And I also knew three other things:
1. It was strong.
2. Probably responsible for making the residents disappear from the building.
3. It definitely knew I was here.