Chapter 5: Journey amidst the Dead

The clock on the wall mocked him with  its relentless ticking, each second another precious moment of time wasted. Ren scavenged whatever little he could find from the office — an unopened instant noodle cup, a can of energy drink, and some crumpled bandaids, unused.

Moving about in his makeshift armour felt awkward, Ren was beginning to doubt the durability of his armour, he felt it was nothing but a pathetic shield, a half-hearted attempt against whatever waited outside.

A pang of regret stabbed at him, he should've checked the other rooms, maybe he would've found something useful, something more substantial in this situation. But the thought of exploring each room, with no knowledge of what was happening inside filled him with dread.

It was decided, he needed to see Yarigawa. And despite her bluntness, she was a trustworthy and capable individual.

Taking a deep breath, Ren stepped towards the barricade, his hands shook with each piece of furniture he removed from the door, with the last piece now in sight, he straightened his posture.

He took out the singed photo from his pocket, "Wish me luck, Mom," he muttered to himself, adrenaline working overtime. Ren secured his photo, pushing it deep into his pocket and with one final breath of air, he pulled out the last piece from the door.

"Yarigawa, you better be safe." Ren mumbled, slowly opening the door, leading him to the hallway of the office. He carefully peeked out, turning both sides and stepped out.

The hallway lights were dim, each step reverberated in the background. Ren gulped hearing through his steps.

His forehead glistened with sweat, heart beating nervously with each step he took, he could feel it almost pop out of his chest.

"Sankaku Co." He read the words on some posters, he knew this building, something positive. Now he could get a clear view of the map route in his mind.

He could see dust motes dance on the sunlight through the window next to him, the view of the hallway behind him felt eerily cold. 

Calming his nerves, he got ready and started pushing open the heavy office door, a wave of oppressive heat slammed into him. Stepping out cautiously,  Ren surveyed the street. 

The familiar urban landscape now looked apocalyptic. Abandoned cars littered the road, some overturned, others smashed in, testament to the chaos that had unfolded.  The air hung heavy with the smell of burnt rubber and the dead.

A shiver ran down his spine.  He was alone, a lone student entering a concrete jungle teeming with unseen dangers.  But the thought of grouping with Yarigawa, and any of his friends especially in this time, fuelled his resolve.  

He had a purpose, and fear wouldn't stop him.  With a determined glint in his eyes, Ren slung his backpack over his shoulder, gripped the shinai tighter, and stepped into the streets, devoid of any life.

If Ren didn't know any better, he'd think everyone had disappeared. He mused most are likely cooped up inside their homes. Quickly dispersing his thoughts, he hugged the shadows, and entered the narrow alleyways, leading to the school.

Each alley looked the same, monotonous concrete, brick, and granite walls, the doors facing outside, he noted the dilapidated bars, ramen stands, it was all there.

Frustration bubbled within him, had he made a mistake? Should he have gone out with open arms to the danger? He considered retreating back to the office room, barricaded within, leaving once in a while to scavenge for food.

But the thought of Yagiwara, perhaps alone and waiting for him, amidst the dangers of what lurked in this new world, forced him to shake his thoughts, it spurred him to act and move on.

A low guttural moan from behind sent shivers down his spine, Ren froze, his heart hammering into his chest, he held back a gasp and gripped the shinai, turning around instantly, gripping it tighter.

Tick Tick Tick Tick Tick

The being in-front of him clacked its crooked teeth, growling, staring at him with its vacant beady eyes, clouded with a milky film. Short hair sprawled messily, its body ravaged with violent wounds, his bloody and torn clothes did little to cover whatever remained of him.

A low growl rumbled from its throat, Ren hitched a breath slowly preparing to fend off against this man, now turned monster.

The infected, it was the second he'd come into contact with… The first being his own mother. But it was the first time to see it this up close and with clear conscience.

It looked repulsive, a sense of nausea crashed into him. Adrenaline kicked in, he could either fight or flee, and he had to decide fast!

There was no escape, he didn't know if the other alleys connected were sprawling with the infected, if so, he'd be surrounded. 

Seeing the infected shuffle forward, Ren decided to get into his stance. Knees bent at an angle, his thick arms firmly gripped the shinai. His eyes now cold with steely resolve. 

This wasn't just Ren anymore, it was the captain of the Kendo club, and he wouldn't go down without a fight.

The infected tilted its head, hunching its back almost resembling a beast, another growl. Pale blue eyes against vacant dull and empty.

He wouldn't use flashy techniques, he had to end this fast if he could get to the school in time. Ren dropped into a low "Seiza", the balls of his feet firmly on the ground. The shinai now above his head, raised and glinted with malicious intent.

The infected, lunged, insatiable hunger and wild bestial instincts pushed it forward toward the swordsman. Ren waited, his breath held tightly.

Eyes narrowed, just as the infected's gnarly hands reached him, shifting to a quick right, he dodged, and executed a powerful "Men" strike, aiming directly for the exposed neck of the infected.

The vertical slash struck with such force, the infected tumbled down. It connected with a sickening crack, but it wasn't deadly, the creature still managed to get back up.

The blow wasn't enough, prions mainly concentrated in the brain but even then, prions aren't big enough to be susceptible to blunt force, they are microscopic objects. However, despite his inner thoughts, it brought him precious time to recalibrate his next couple of moves.

And with no hesitation, he launched a series of rapid strikes aiming to incapacitate his opponent. "Jodan Men", a rising diagonal strike to the head of the creature sent it disoriented, this was followed by a swift "Gedan" strike aimed at its knees.

Seeing the infected lose its balance, a final strike, a powerful horizontal thrust to the throat, a Tsuki, sent the infected crashing to the floor.

It lay still on the ground, but Ren knew it was far from over. The shinai may have knocked it down, but it wouldn't kill, just not yet at least.

He raised his shinai, aiming to deliver one final blow, the kill shot ingrained in him from countless hours of Kendo practice. 

Ren brought it down viciously, releasing his breath quietly. A sickening crunch left the creature twitching on the floor before coming to a still. He glanced at his shinai, covered in blood, he worried for contamination, and carefully held the wooden sword by its handle, waving it to shake off the blood.

The path to the School was getting closer, several minutes had passed by, and Ren skilfully looped around the infected, being hidden.

He noticed the creatures lack of intelligence, they were but husks with primal instinct. Fast and powerful, but dumb nonetheless.

Another thing he noted, was their great susceptibility to sounds, the creatures identified where noises came from, and rushed to them. 

He would have to jot them down later in his notebook, but it truly worked wonders, he grabbed a sole shoe, devoid of its owner, throwing it a metal frame, the undead growled and moaned, running and impacting against it. It cleared a path for Ren, who unnoticed managed to escape and get closer to the school.

From his vantage point, he could see it. The school roofs, tinted black, it was iconic and for once, he didn't feel too bad about the colour.