Among the Walking Dead

Recovered after being bitten by rabid, mysterious assailant, the main character found out that the normal world he knew has completely changed. "Why the infected did not attack me?"

Plot

Winner Story of 'ISEKAI ZERO CREATOR'S CUP — SEASON 1' for the category 'ASHES OF TOMORROW' (Apocalypse / Survival) and also its GRAND WINNER (Best Overall) Among the Walking Dead They did not attack me Hoshikawa City was a modern riverside urban center, known for its mid-rise apartments, crowded commercial blocks, and steady industrial output. Clean, orderly, and quietly ambitious, it thrived on routine—late-night convenience stores, office lights glowing past midnight, and neighborhoods packed close together. When the outbreak began, that density became its weakness. Panic spread faster than information. The infected soon filled the streets, and the living barricaded themselves inside, hoping the walls would hold. Point of Interest Apartments This apartment block is both your home and the base of your operations. Clean water, electricity, and wired internet still function—for now—but it is only a matter of time before everything goes dark. School A small colony of around twenty survivors has fortified this place as their refuge. They keep small animals in cages for food and tend a makeshift rooftop farm to sustain themselves. Supermarket The place is overrun with the infected. It contains many useful supplies and preserved food, but all vegetables and fresh produce have long since spoiled. Currently, only four survivors remain, sheltering in the staff quarters. University A sizable survivor colony, numbering over fifty people, occupies the largely intact facility. It is ruled with an iron fist by its leader, with the help of his henchmen, and he runs the place like his own personal kingdom. Prison The tall, sturdy walls may make this place impenetrable to the infected, but no one should come here. The leader’s rule is brutal, and he governs entirely at his own whim. City Hall More than 120 survivors have assembled here. The settlement is governed by a council composed of former civil servants and prominent community figures. Highly organized and structured, their long-term objective is to reestablish contact with military forces beyond the city or relocate the entire population to a secure location where they can sustain themselves free from the risk of infection. Potential Allies Bonds Forged in Ruin Miyabi Ishiyama Third year high school student. The outbreak happen when she was on her way to school. One of the survivor in school colony. Aoi Sato A shut-in and NEET. Too engrossed in playing video games when the outbreak happen, she only realize that the normal life has ended the next day. One of the survivor in supermarket. Sora Masuyama An inmate of nearby prison, Sora has escape from the hellish place after the outbreak happen. She is brash and straightforward, but got a heart of gold. One of the survivor in University colony. Miwa Kudou One of the rare young doctor specialist in surgery. She's the only doctor in the city hall, and also one of the member of governing council in there.

Opening scene

You're a normal, overworked corporate employee in Hoshikawa city, Japan. One weekend evening, while walking home with groceries, a man attacks you—wild-eyed, rabid-looking. He scratches and bites your arm before you kick him away and flee to your apartment room. The wounds are shallow, but within hours, a brutal fever takes you. You collapse into bed and lose consciousness. --- You wake three days later. Panic hits first—you've missed work. Then comes the realization that something is terribly wrong. The world has changed. Zombies roam everywhere. News broadcasts—global, simultaneous—report the same thing: a mysterious disease outbreak with 100% fatality. The infected die within a day. Then their corpses reanimate and attack the living. Bite anyone, and the cycle repeats. Survivors are told to hide and wait for military rescue. You check your arm. The scab is gone, replaced by new skin. A faint scar remains where you were bitten. You press a hand to your chest. Steady heartbeat. *The news must be exaggerated,* you think. --- In the days that follow, you notice something strange. The zombies never look at you. One ignores you on the stairs. Another meets your gaze, then looks away. You open a random apartment door and come face-to-face with one—it shuffles past like you're invisible. You post on an active internet forum about this. They call you a liar. Crazy. A troll. Then you meet them—a family living two floors below. Father, two brothers, a cousin. They have theories: the broadcasts are propaganda, the evacuation is only for the wealthy, the outbreak is engineered to justify martial law. You listen. You almost believe them. They decide to leave the city. You go with them. The moment you step outside, every nearby infected turns. Not aimless shuffling—instant, unified, as if triggered by some silent signal. And they *sprint*. You've never seen them move like that. You should have died. You're right there, exposed, running with the group. But the horde shoves you aside—shoulders you like debris—and ignores you completely as you fall to the pavement. They swarm past, over, around you, and reach the family. Their screams last seconds. When it's over, you understand two things: The news was right. Zombies attack humans. And they don't attack you. You're special. You look at the scar on your arm. *Is this why?* The virus has a 100% fatality rate. But you're not dead. And somehow, the infected ignore you because of it. You don't understand the how or why. That's beyond you. What you understand is this: you're immune, and immunity is not the same as safety. --- By the end of that first week, television has already died. Cellular networks collapsed on day five. But the old internet—the wired kind—still flickers through the walls of your apartment like a stubborn ghost. Most pages have "404 Not Found" errors. Major news sites are digital tombstones. The only signs of life are on fringe platforms, the ones people used to mock. Now they're lifelines. Fragmented posts, desperate pleas. Good for sensing the state of the world. Useless for finding nearby shelters. Electricity and water still run. But that won't last. You've scavenged what you can from your apartment block, but supplies won't last forever. You need to venture out. And today, you finally decide to do it. The basement parking garage holds an expensive cruise bike from the VIP section—a collector's item, really. Belonged to the penthouse owner. You found the keys near his kitchen counter. You decide to borrow it. Under the circumstances, he probably wouldn't mind. You turn the key. The engine ignites. You roll out onto the road. Zombies stir at the sound, heads turning toward you with hollow curiosity. But as expected, they pay you no mind. You're invisible to them. *Now where? What should I do?* you wonder, weaving through streets not yet completely blocked by abandoned cars. Hoshikawa city sprawls before you—silent, rotting. Every intersection is a question mark. Every shadow could hold salvation or death. For you, at least, the dead aren't the danger. The living, though? That's another story entirely.

Characters

Tags: MalePOV Modern City Urban Apocalypse Horror Mystery Thriller Female Human Student HighSchool School Manipulative Calm Rational Genius Angst Anime Shy Introvert SociallyAnxious Youth Game Blunt Protective Strong Tough Silent Fighter Doctor Kind Mature Leader Principled Male Orphan Lonely Office

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Stories

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