It had been raining all day. I sat on the windowsill, wide awake all night.

Why?

The pain.

My stomach had been cramping nonstop, leaving me restless and unable to sleep. I’d finally yanked open the curtains, wrapped myself in a blanket, and watched the rain until dawn.

My mind had calmed, but exhaustion weighed heavy—and the dull ache in my lower abdomen sharpened, a sticky discomfort clinging between my legs.

*Sigh.*

After this endless night, one truth hit me hard:

"Sanitary pads… truly one of humanity’s greatest inventions."

The downpour still hammered outside. Today would be wasted. Dragging my aching body up, I changed the legendary pad.

Yesterday’s pamphlet lay on the nightstand. I’d copied its warnings about mutant monsters and survival tactics into my notebook, tucked safely inside my solar-powered backpack.

Grabbing a packet of instant noodles, I crunched them dry. No energy to boil water after this period’s brutal all-night siege. All I craved was food and sleep.

Strangely, the pain eased slightly by daytime. Maybe time dulled it.

I had zero experience with this. Everything was trial and error. *Sigh.* Back in the pre-Apocalypse days, I’d just been a simple gentleman…

Ahem.

Past life didn’t matter now. Survival did. That pamphlet? A lifeline. Whether the "higher-ups" intended it or not, it saved me.

Food…

My stockpile could last a month, but surviving on instant noodles? Unthinkable.

Weapons…

Perfect timing. I had a Type 64 pistol but no bullets. Now I did.

Still, I’d have to wait until tomorrow.

One question gnawed at me: that helicopter’s appearance made no sense. The nearest military base was in SY. Even pre-Apocalypse, driving there took three hours. Now? Nearly impossible. Why drop pamphlets here? Fewer than one in ten survivors would make it.

"Investment doesn’t match the payoff…" I muttered, puzzling over possibilities until sleep finally dragged me under.

Time slipped away.

Cramps must’ve knocked me out cold—I slept straight from the morning of the 12th to the early hours of the 13th.

Outside, the downpour softened to a drizzle. Rainwater pooled into tiny streams along the curbs, trickling into gutters.

Groggily, I sat up. My gaze dropped to the "weapons" on my chest, then to my still-throbbing abdomen. Another sigh escaped me. First thing I checked: the parking spot outside my window.

My truck and Yamaha still sat there. A few zombies wandered nearby—likely drawn after that mutant monster died two nights ago.

I glanced at my wristwatch. A good find: a mechanical Longines ladies’ watch. Waterproof, zero maintenance. But it only showed the date, not the month. Annoying. I’d need a solar-powered digital clock soon.

Perched on the windowsill, I waited. The helicopter had said "three days." Counting from the 11th? Then today—the 13th—was the day. Or was it the 14th? No way to know. I’d wait here. They’d surely signal the drop somehow.

After all, the skies remained clear. So far, mutant monsters only lurked on land or in water. None had conquered the air.

*Yet.*

If flying mutants ever appeared? Humanity would be trapped. Night belonged to zombies. Day would belong to winged horrors. The weak would have no choice but to wait for death at home.

Since waking in this Apocalypse, I’d cheated death more times than I could count. It sparked a wild thought:

*Am I a genius?*

…Yeah, right.

Even facing zombies, I never felt that "rush" normal people described. Not like my old self at all.

Was this body giving me an edge? Some adrenaline-like hormone suppressing panic, letting me stay calm in danger?

I couldn’t know. Just a theory. But someday, I’d examine this body. It wasn’t normal.

My hand drifted down, squeezing the impossible curves on my chest. I grumbled under my breath:

"Definitely not normal!!"

Hours bled away. Afternoon arrived, but the storm clouds refused to break. Thunder growled across the blackened sky, punctuated by distant, guttural roars.

Drowsy, I sat by the bed, mindlessly disassembling and reassembling my pistol. Click. Snap. Click. Snap.

Bored and weary, I changed my period pad again, collapsed onto the mattress, and drifted off.

Sunlight warmed my face. I burrowed deeper under the covers.

Then—

***THWUMP-THWUMP-THWUMP***

Helicopter blades shattered the silence outside my window.

I jolted awake!