Multivers, Leveling Up in the World I Created

I immediately headed to Clementine's house.

But it seemed several people had already been infected, zombies were roaming the neighborhood, and screams could be heard from all directions.

Screams were also coming from inside Clementine's house.

I didn't hesitate and kicked the door open.

"Kyaaah!!!"

Before me, a male zombie was biting the arm of a red-haired white woman in the living room.

Swoosh! Thud!

I drew my backpack and severed the zombie's neck.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Ugh... it hurts so much..."

Her arm was torn open to the bone, and the bleeding was severe.

It looked too late to me, but I couldn't just leave her.

I asked if she had a first-aid kit, found it, and immediately stopped the bleeding, then tightly bandaged the wound.

"How are you feeling?"

"It still hurts... and I'm cold... Am I going to die?"

"..."

I couldn't answer.

The blood loss was severe—her whole body was pale, and she was losing consciousness.

She seemed to realize her condition from my silence.

With a resigned look, she made one last request.

"Mister soldier... I'm a babysitter. This isn't my house—it's the home of the child I take care of. Please, at least take care of her. She's hiding in the treehouse in the back. Her name is Clementine."

"I understand. I'll protect her."

"Mom... Dad... I miss you... I wanted to buy you something nice with the money I earned from my part-time job..."

With those final words, she closed her eyes.

It was tragic, but I knew that in the zombie apocalypse, she wouldn't be the only one to die like this.

I looked at her for a moment with a bitter expression, then went to the tree in the backyard and called out.

"Clementine?"

The door of the treehouse opened, and young Clementine cautiously poked her head out.

"Is it safe now?"

"No, not yet. That's why we need to leave. We can't stay here."

Clementine seemed to hesitate for a moment, then nodded and climbed down.

She was a smart kid.

Clementine was a cute eight-year-old girl.

She was of Asian and Black mixed heritage, with curly short hair, but her skin wasn't very dark.

She had golden eyes, just like me.

'I remember her skin being darker when she was older... maybe because she went through so much?'

She was wearing a white dress and black leggings, and on her head was her signature baseball cap with the letter "D."

It suited her cute image quite well.

Maybe because I enjoyed the game so much, I unconsciously patted her head.

Clementine looked at me closely and said, "Mister soldier, you have golden eyes too? I've never seen anyone else with golden eyes."

"Calling me mister makes me sad. Just call me Jin oppa."

"Okay, Jin oppa. You can call me Clem. Everyone does."

"Got it, Clem."

Just then, Clem suddenly hid behind me.

Someone was limping into the backyard.

I quickly drew the Yukimura and aimed it at him.

"Who are you?"

"Whoa, easy! I just came for help because I hurt my leg. I'm not one of them."

I already knew he was Lee Everett, but in this situation, trusting strangers is dangerous, so I acted like I didn't know him and kept my guard up.

In the original, Lee was being transferred to prison after receiving a life sentence.

On the way, the transport vehicle was overturned by a zombie wandering the road.

The police officer in charge died and became a zombie, and Lee barely survived with a leg injury.

He wandered through the neighborhood looking for help and eventually arrived at Clementine's house, where he found her alone.

Lee was a 37-year-old Black man with short hair and a trimmed mustache and goatee.

He had a friendly, approachable vibe, like the guy next door, but his body was covered in blood and dirt, evidence of how rough his journey had been.

Then Lee suddenly pointed behind us and shouted.

"Watch out!"

I quickly turned around.

The babysitter who had just died had already reanimated and was lunging at us.

I didn't hesitate, I shot her in the head with the Yukimura.

"Grrr..."

Phut!

Thud! Thud!

I looked at the fallen babysitter for a moment, then thanked Lee.

"She turned into one of them too. Thanks for the warning."

"No problem. Hey, can you take a look at my leg? I was in a car accident. I don't think it's broken, but it's torn pretty deep."

"So that's why you were limping. Let's go inside."

We went back into the house and used the first-aid kit I had found earlier to treat Lee's leg.

"Good news, it's just a skin tear. The muscle and bone are fine."

"That's a relief."

Clem kept staring sadly at the dead babysitter.

"Sandra unnie..."

"Clem... I'm sorry, but once they turn like that, there's no helping it."

"I know. That's why she made me hide in the treehouse... but what do we do now?"

"We need to leave here. This is a residential area with a lot of people, so there are bound to be many who turned. Clem, do you have a bag in the house?"

"Yes. My dad had a backpack for hiking."

"Good. Let's grab some clothes and get out."

"Okay."

While Lee rested, Clem and I packed some of her underwear and clothes into the backpack and returned to the living room.

I insisted on packing clothes because I planned to stay with Clem for a long time, and having clothes that fit her would make things much easier.

Once we were ready, we left the house.

Two men were standing by my car, looking around.

"Hey, what are you doing by my car?"

When I asked, they looked relieved.

"Oh, thank goodness. We were stuck because this big car was blocking the road. We tried pushing it, but it wouldn't budge. I'm Shawn, Shawn Greene, and this is Chet."

Shawn looked like an ordinary young man in his mid-20s.

Chet seemed to be about the same age, but he had a heavier build.

"I'm Jin, and this is Clementine, and..."

I trailed off since I hadn't caught Lee's name, so he introduced himself.

"I'm Lee. Nice to meet you."

Shawn pointed to a red truck parked on the opposite side of the road.

"If you help us clear the way, I'll take you to my family's farm. It's much safer there."

The red truck Shawn pointed to was blocked by other vehicles besides my Scorpion MRAP.

"Alright. Let's do it."

I first put the injured Lee and young Clem into the Scorpion MRAP, then helped Shawn and Chet push the blocking vehicles aside to clear the way.

"Wow, you're strong."

"I'm in the military. I work out a lot."

Shawn looked closely at the unit patch on my uniform and asked, "That patch... could you be Delta Force?"

"You know about Delta Force?"

"Of course. It's one of the most famous special forces units in the U.S."

Just then, Chet shouted urgently.

"The monsters are coming! We need to go!"

As Chet said, zombies were approaching from a distance.

I quickly got into the Scorpion MRAP, started the engine, and turned the car around.

Shawn also hurried into his truck and took the lead, and I followed.

"Phew... I thought something was going to happen. By the way, what is this vehicle? It has a bathroom, a fridge, and even a foldable bed?"

After we lost the zombies, Lee sighed in relief and asked about the car.

"I have a friend who builds camper vans. I paid him to modify it."

"Must be a skilled friend. Anyway, if you're in the military, shouldn't you be reporting back to your unit?"

"I was on my way back when I ran into you."

"Ah..."

"Actually, I can't get in touch with my unit. I was worried, but then I ran into you. And that woman who attacked us earlier? She was Clem's babysitter. Before she turned, she asked me to take care of Clem. So for now, I'm prioritizing her safety."

Lee chuckled.

"To keep a promise like that in this situation... you're a good person."

"I don't know about that... anyway, sorry about your wife."

Lee flinched.

"You knew?"

"Yeah, I saw it on TV. But I understand. I'd probably do the same. By the way, Clem, are you comfortable?"

Clem answered from the back, "I'm fine. But I'm hungry."

"Really? There's some food in the fridge. We'll eat when we get there."

"Okay."

We drove down a dirt road for a long time, finally arriving at the farm around sunset.

It was Hershel Greene's farm, the main setting of The Walking Dead season 2.

And Shawn Greene was Hershel's son.

Though the game and show are separate, they share the same universe, so there were quite a few connections.

This was one of them.

Chet said as soon as we arrived, "I need to get home. My mom must be really worried."

As Chet tried to leave, Hershel came out of the house and greeted Shawn.

Hershel looked much like he did in the show, a middle-aged man with white hair and thinning locks.

His face seemed kind and gentle, but that was only toward people he trusted.

"I'm glad you're safe."

"I was worried something might have happened here too."

"The first two days were quiet. Old man Brecken noticed his mare was limping, but that's nothing new."

"If it weren't for Chet, I might not have made it back."

"Good thing you brought him along."

After Hershel finished speaking with his son, he looked at us and said, "So you brought guests. A soldier... what are you doing in the middle of all this?"

As expected, Hershel asked the same question as Lee.

"I was on leave when this happened. I can't reach my unit either. I've been trying."

"I see..."

"Dad, he's Delta Force."

"Delta Force? Is that something you eat? Sounds like a cereal brand."

"It's one of the most famous special forces units in the U.S."

"Oh, is that so? I'm not really interested in that stuff. Sorry I didn't recognize you. Anyway, you're welcome to stay, but only for tonight. I'm not running a bed and breakfast."

Hershel was quite curt.

He clearly didn't welcome outsiders, which was just like in the show.

But this was his farm, and we were the ones receiving help, so I had to accept it.

"Understood. We'll leave tomorrow."

With that, we got back into the Scorpion MRAP.

I opened the fridge, took out some frozen food, and heated it up.

"Let's eat first."

"Yeah, I'm hungry too. I haven't had anything since lunch."

Lee and Clem ate well, even though it was just frozen food.

They must have been starving after everything they'd been through.

After dinner, we washed up and set up the foldable beds.

Lee took one, Clem the other.

I just reclined the driver's seat and slept there.

"I'm sorry the owner has to sleep in the driver's seat."

Lee felt bad about it.

"Don't worry. Sleeping on the ground during operations was normal for me. This is nothing. By the way, what are your plans now?"

"I don't know... just trying to survive? Honestly, it feels like I don't have many options."

"Yeah..."

Just then, Clem asked, "Is Savannah far from here? My parents went on vacation there."

"It's quite far, and there are a lot of people who turned into monsters... so it won't be easy."

"...I see. I miss my parents."

"If we get a chance, I'll take you there. I promise."

Clem's face brightened at that.