Chapter 4: Rest for the Dead

Ren stared blankly at the charred remains of the house, the smoke stinging his eyes.  His mind felt numb, the weight of his actions sinking in. He killed his mother. The woman who cared for him, nurtured him, now lay lifeless because of him. Tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision.  

"Mom," he choked out, his voice thick with grief. "I'm so sorry... I had to..."  

But the apology felt hollow.  He should have protected her, found a way to save her.  A wave of anger washed over him, hot and bitter.  Anger at the disease, at fate, at himself.  He slammed his fist against the smoldering remains of the house, a scream tearing from his throat.  

Exhaustion overwhelmed him.  His body ached, his throat raw from screaming.  He slumped to the ground, the weight of the world pressing down on him. He couldn't remember for how long he laid, but it felt as though if an eternity had passed.

A flicker of movement caught his eye.  A photo, partially singed, lay on the ground.  He picked it up, the familiar scene of him and his mom at the beach bringing a wave of nostalgia.  He held it close, the warmth of the memory a small comfort in the vast ocean of despair.  

He knew he couldn't stay here. He had to move on, to survive, if he could even do that.  But a part of him would forever be buried with his mother in the ashes. He would grieve, he would remember this moment, but for now he had to get up.

"Goodbye mom… I will… definitely meet you up there later…" Ren turned his back to the burnt wreckage, he shakily picked up his shinai, taking a moment to stare at the point where it made contact.

"I need to clean myself…" He muttered to himself, his pale blue eyes duller, losing its young spark.

Ren walked away exhausted, his back hunched slightly. The young man witnessed the terrors of his new reality, the lack of order, this supposed virus had been the perfect agent of chaos.

Neighbours scuffled past him, bumping into his shoulders once in a while, faces struck with fear and rage, screaming profanities while others mauled by man-eating monsters, fell victim to their former loved ones.

Ren found himself in front of a seemingly abandoned office building.  The glass doors were intact, offering a glimpse of a deserted lobby.  He pushed through them, the stale smell of old paper and soothing chimes of alarms hitting him.  Multiple desks, office computers, chairs and paper lay scattered in disarray.  Thankfully, there were no signs of "them," or any signs of recent violence.

Taking hold of some desks and chairs, he managed to barricade himself inside, the steel and wooden frames would no doubt leave 'them' stuck outside, yet it wouldn't hold forever, and he couldn't stay inside with no sustenance.

Allowing himself to rest, Ren took in a fresh breathe of air, taking in the ordinary smell of new office equipment, for once a sense of normalcy amidst the crumbling world outside.

"What now?" Ren muttered, pulling out his phone.

"Government controlled Evacuation centre?" He raised a brow at the notification ringing on his phone and sighed deeply.

His brows knitted tightly considering the idea of being evacuated. Before long he shook his head.

"Too many people in there." He mused, "it's going to be a mess… If one person was somehow infected," he trailed off, if such a thing occurred, he doubted very few could survive.

'Besides these zombies aren't like the ones from Hollywood shows… they are fast.' Ren was reminded of past experiences and cleared his throat, realising how dry it was.

Thankfully, there seemed to be a water dispenser nearby, tucked away in a corner and he quickly knelt before it and let the tap open.

The water offered much respite, allowing him to wash away the grit and grime off of his face.

He filled up his water bottle, it would be much needed, and sat on a corner, allowing him to see all angles easily, the sword by his side, gleaming with intent.

Yet, the silence did little to calm his nerves, it felt heavy and broken only by the gurgles of his stomach. Starved, he quickly rummaged through his school bag, throwing away most, and found a crumpled granola bar, somehow surviving the ordeal.

Ren devoured the bar, before opening up the bottle and taking a few sips of water. It did little to quell his increasing hunger. 

The emptiness of the office was both a blessing and a curse, for once, it did calm his mind, yet at the same time, the lack of any resources did little to help him. He needed food and water, and definitely weapons, other than his shinai. It offered defense, yet its offensive capabilities were lacking.

Then an idea struck him, Ren scrambled for the abandoned computers, he shoved away papers and other objects.

Finally he found one, faintly glowing blue, it would be a lifeline. Ren kept his phone tucked into his pocket for emergencies, saving its battery, and quickly tapped on the icon on the monitor.

With trembling fingers he typed in the keywords onto the query "Zombie outbreak news", dozens of sites and blogs popped in-front of his eyes.

"Global Pandemic, Confirmed!"

He gulped, taking a notebook out of his bag and a pen, frantically scribbling down all key information.

"AHE, Ataxic Hyperkinetic Encephalopathy, caused by prions."

"Mutation, causes changes in infected within minutes."

"Prions incurable, can't be killed. Do not get bit or touch brain material."

His eyes trembled at the information, prions were not killable. He glanced at his shinai in silence, broken only by his ragged breathing 

"Essential survival tips."

His eyes raced across the lines on the blog, desperate for information. 

"AHE is highly contagious, do not come into contact with saliva and blood of an infected." He gulped at that, and scrolled further down.

"Power grid, may fall in several days or several weeks… water can last for a week after power fails."

"1/4 teaspoon of bleach for 6.6 litres of water."

The gloom in his face evident, Ren only had a couple days to be self sufficient, and possibly out of the city, his jaw clenched shut with tension before taking a deep breath, eyes flickering with determination.

Furthermore, water can be contaminated due to lack of maintenance. He eyed the large water container fixed to the water dispenser.

Ren felt his phone buzz again, jolting him off of his seat, he reeled back with shinai in hand and calmed when he realised what had happened, feeling embarrassed he quietly pulled out his phone with a sigh of relief.

He observed the notification, a message from RINE, "Yarigawa? I completely forgot about them…" His face fell, guilt tugging at his chest.

"Are you alive?!" He texted, asking her. Ren held a flicker of hope when he found her message, but guilt gnawed when the next message appeared.

"Barely." She replied, then an attachment. It contained a photo of the school, starkly different from what it would normally look.

"At school, its empty, we need to gather." He traced the words, with a deep melancholy, he was taken back to the vivid memories, flashes of the hallways packed with students, his friends, now lay empty. 

A deep bitterness dwelled in his heart, but he took time to respond, "I'll be there, btw do you have weapons?" 

"Have." He chuckled at her texts, sending a quick thumbs up. Now he had to get to the school. He glanced at the window, the sun was still up, it would take a while for complete darkness, but he took comfort in the idea that street lights would remain turned for a couple days.

 Forty five minutes would be taken by walking, maybe more due to the chaos outside. The train stations were essential death traps right now teeming with hordes, he mused.

Ren stuck to using the backstreets, one more text wouldn't hurt right? "Be there in an hour, grab some food if you can please?" He delivered the message and watched the little "read" icon.

"Come first" Yarigawa's reply came back with her characteristic bluntness that brought another smile to his face. He shook his head with a wry chuckle escaping his lips. Perhaps humour still wouldn't be wasted in this new world.

Ren grabbed several sheets of cardboard from the office storage, a grim satisfaction bloomed when he began tearing, it wouldn't do much but it would save his life.

He eyed a roll of duct tape on a desk, pilfering it and quickly taping his makeshift armour onto his arms, neck, and legs. 

He raised his head taking note of the working clock hung near the ceiling of the room. 

12:04

It was time to go, his body well rested and brimming with determination. He'd make it out of this trip, and survive to live another day…

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