Chapter 6: Stranger in the Dumps

Traversing this dystopian city disoriented him, it was assault on all of his senses. The putrid stench of the dead remained thick in the air, it remained a constant reminder of the punishing reality of his new life, and what waited for him at every corner. The deafening silence returned in full force, only broken by a distant growl and scream. Flies buzzed actively along the mangled bodies of the dead. The carcasses oozed with thick red blood, he sometimes unwilling had to step on these puddles.

Ren struggled to navigate through the debris, wreckage of burning cars, and the mangled bodies littered in the streets and alleys. Empty stores opened up to him, flickering lights and hollow, windows shattered and walls stained with fresh blood.

Numerous times, he'd been ambushed by what appeared to be dead bodies, and despite his body acclimated to rough use, his mind struggled with this new apocalyptic reality.

Constantly being aware of his surroundings tired him out more than he could ever imagined, he felt drained, exhausted even.

The sun still glaring with intensity, though he felt it was weaker, the spring heat was thankfully bearable, unfortunately there was no time to be distracted by checking him phone while in the midst of a broken world.

The school felt further away, but he knew that with each step, he was getting closer and closer, it was a monumental task to reach the school with the infected roaming the streets, hunting and seeking for more prey.

Tens of minutes later, he could see the familiar turn of the street, though it remained in pristine condition, it offered little solace to calm his nerves, why? It was eerily quiet, too quiet for his liking.

Eyeing the cars parked on open home garages, he sighed. Perhaps the school area was relatively safer compared to the suburbs further down. But a gnawing feeling burst from his heart.

Where was everyone? Then a sound cut through the oppressive silence, rhythmic clanging which forced him to act up again.

'Survivors?' He mused, crouching to wall level, hugging the barriers to remain unseen. The sounds came from an alleyway ahead, one he'd go for an afternoon snack before club practice.

Curiosity urged him to push on, yet he reminded himself to remain cautious. Could it be an infected? Or survivors?

He peeked cautiously around the corner leading to the alley, his grip on the shinai tightening as he did so. And in the shade offered by the various stores built along the narrow path, a figure shuffled about, leaning over the counter scavenging.

The figure appeared to be a woman, in ragged office clothes, her coat scuffed from stretch and the skirt torn at the edges folding into the seam. Its jerky movements did not go unnoticed, but as it straightened its posture, and the glint of metal caught in whatever sunlight passed through, Ren realised he had released a sigh of relief.

The scavenger, a woman in her thirties with wild hair and shrunken eyes, whirled around, a kitchen knife in hand, he could see the look in her eyes.

Crazed and full of adrenaline, her pupils shrunk to tiny dots, Ren realised he was targeted, freezing for a split second before widening his arms non-threateningly.

"Easy there," His voice sounded rough from disuse. "I'm not here to fight."

The woman, narrowed her eyes. There was no trust between the two. Her gaze flickered between his shinai and makeshift armour.

"What do you want?" She barked, her voice barely a whisper yet, aggression oozed from her.

"I heard noises," Ren spoke truthfully and continued, "I thought it was…" he trailed off, the woman came to an understanding and sighed.

"You a kid from the school over there?" She inquired, less hostile and more open to conversation, perhaps he was the first person she'd seen after the incident.

"Yeah," Ren had no intention to talk about meeting up with Yarigawa, he felt it was unnecessary, and from what he'd seen, it was hard to trust others, especially strangers. 

"I'm sorry for surprising you," He admitted apologetically, which the woman studied with careful eyes and softened a fraction. A flicker of recognition passed through them, did she perhaps know him? Or did his youthful face spark a memory of someone she once knew?

"It's alright, I would have done the same." She shook her head gently, before rummaging through her tattered bag, pulling out a plastic-wrapped pack of sandwiches adorned with a logo of "6 Eleven" a popular convenience store.

"Hey kid, catch!" She whispered, throwing it at him with surprising precision. Ren caught it reflexively, feeling the cool plastic wrapping and looked down at the offering. He was reminded of his empty stomach and the gnawing hunger. For a moment he took his time to absorb everything, food was going to be a precious commodity for this new world, and yet this woman had willingly shared with him, a complete stranger.

"Consider it an apology for being so cranky." She smiled, "See ya," the woman sighed before waving her hand at him, Ren could only observe as the figure disappeared from his sight, slowly becoming but a tiny dot in the distance.

"A pack of sandwiches from Six Eleven…" He gazed at it intensely, turning back to the school.

The interaction changed something in him, the woman's simple act of kindness had fractured his self-preservation instincts. 

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to be nice in this cruel world once in a while, he thought inwardly.

——

"He's late." Yarigawa Yuki, gazed at the clock hung on the classroom, ticking with each second passed. She was seated on the repurposed student desk, her hand tightening its grip on her wooden spear.

The classroom, once a space of comfort and warmth for her now felt harrowing, she had barricaded the entrance to Class 3A with the chairs and desks which upon entering had been messily left out, some papers unattended to and left on the floor. She would never admit to it, but it scared her. Each rustle of wind against the windows, sent a jolt of fear down her spine.

She immediately chastised herself for her trembling hands. Yarigawa Yuki, the headstrong Captain of the Sojutsu club, renowned for her prowess and demeanour, now reduced to a scared child waiting for a friend who, despite feeling guilty for thinking, may never show up.

She observed the sun had turned dimmer, it was beginning its descent, casting long shadows on the classroom.

Where was Ren? Had he encountered trouble? She chewed at her lip, or had he changed his mind, leaving her for somewhere safer?

Just then her phone buzzed earning a quiet squeak from her mouth, she quickly opened it, dread gnawing at her heart. But as she saw the message from Ren, a wave of relief washed over her, so intense it left her breathless, and almost immediately her shoulders seemed to relax and slid down.

"I'm at the school. Where should I come?" She trailed her eyes and typed eagerly, he was alive.

Scrambling to her feet, she typed in a response quickly and sent it off, she saw the thumbs up and nodded, with newfound vigour, she got up and started tearing away the barrier, the chairs and tables once separating the classroom door to the hallways outside, now clattering to the floor.

Meanwhile, Ren took his time to climb the stairs, taking in the depressive atmosphere of the school. Each step echoing in the empty hallways reminded him of another distant memory of when things were normal.

The familiar scent of old wood and the subtle smell of disinfectant chemicals used to clean the floors brought a sense of normalcy once again, but he'd remind himself not to forget the situation he was in.

He had reached the designated floor, heart now hammering in his chest, Ren felt nervous meeting her again, yet a tiny smile tugged at his lips. Despite everything he had been through in the past couple of hours, it brought him comfort to know someone he knew personally was alive.

A loud "You're late!" echoed in the hallway, he spun around and his hand instinctively wrapped around the shinai. He reacted on pure reflex, the shinai meeting an empty space with a whoosh.

"Yarigawa, are you trying to kill me? He wheezed, heart drumming on his chest, he had been so focused on the school, that he hadn't noticed her presence.

A smile played on her lips, "One of these days, I might," she said, her voice laced with amusement at what she had just seen, Ren felt his eye twitch at that. 

"But," She paused, her smile softening, extending her hand toward him, "it's nice to see you." 

Ren took her hand, his body sagging from exhaustion. With a tug, he quickly pulled her into a tight embrace earning a squack from the girl. Finally, he pulled back, a tired smile on his face, "I got some snacks," he said, pulling out a pack of sandwiches.

"Good." She said, a little lightheaded reeling from the aftermath, "Let's get inside, we need rest and plan for our next actions." 

An energetic "Alright." eased her nerves, the duo now barricaded themselves within the classroom again.

Only this time, it wouldn't be so lonely.