《Illusionary Twilight》


 Burning Horizons

    Miyamoto Ryusei sat on the one bench that was covered by a modicum of shade in the whole schoolyard, it was weird sitting alone while everyone was in class, but it felt oddly serene. To his credit, he was not ditching class, he was kicked out after the math teacher asked one too many questions about his homework, he failing to answer one too many. A second year highschool student with an affinity for the creative and kendo, math was not up his alley, seeing it as boring and uninspiring. As such, to him, being kicked out was not much of a tragedy, his only concern with the class being the acquisition of a passing grade, to the dismay of those around him. The real and very immediate concern was a certain someone who he¡¯d never imagined would be seen outside of class while lessons were still underway, namely, his long time acquaintance, sometimes friend and fellow kendo club member, Murata Rin. In many ways, she was the antithesis of Ryusei, a diligent, well put together and hard working student with a knack for physics, her attitude having landed her the position of student council president. Walking up to the bench where a Ryu whose smile vanished after seeing her she looked down at the kendo club captain. ¡°Skipping class, are we?¡± Her tone was a mix of irony and concern with a hint of superiority as she glared at his fleeing gaze. After readying himself for the inevitable verbal scolding he turned to her. ¡°Maybe skipping was a better idea, I got kicked out, spoofing the teacher about not having my homework failed spectacularly.¡± Not knowing if she should laugh or scold him Rin let out a sigh and told him to try and not repeat the year, after which she departed, her role in the student council demanding her presence.


    With no company and the shade slowly fading from his spot, Ryusei decided that it was time to head to the kendo club room, boredom getting the better of him. Standing in front of the dilapidated shack that houses the kendo club, Ryusei let out a snark, he was both pleased and displeased with the current state of affairs. On one hand, having only three members made managing the club and its activities a non issue, on the other hand, each time discussions came up about funding, not only was he dead last but was threatened with disbandment on a lack of members and participation in sporting events. Pushing his thoughts aside and looking at his phone he realized that it¡¯d be at least a good half an hour before anyone might arrive, time which he could use for training, an activity that brought him peace and satisfaction. Out of the half a dozen shinai that adorned the wall, about three were in a usable state, ¡°Matches the number of members¡­¡±, Ryusei thought, as he picked up the one that the letters MR written in sharpie on the handle and headed behind the shack, where a small yard was designated as the practice area.


    Swinging was something he mastered a long time ago but it still brought him joy, the simple motion of lifting the shinai above one¡¯s head and bringing all your might to bear as you try to maintain a straight line is something that¡¯s never going to get old to Ryusei and as he swung the door of the shack swung open as well, the half an hour had passed. ¡°Someone got here early!¡±, a thunderous and excited voice belonging to Kawachi Souta exclaimed while heading to where Ryusei stood. Despite being a year younger, Souta towered  a good head above Ryusei in height, as well as being significantly bulkier than him, he was built like a fridge but had the heart of an oven and was generally a pleasure to be around regardless of who you¡¯d ask. Not long after Souta, Rin also made her appearance, Ryusei, seeing his opportunity to get free math tutoring in hopes of passing pointed his shinai at her and issued a challenge: ¡°Rin, I¡¯ve got something interesting for ya¡¯, how about we go for a spar, winner asks a favor of the looser!¡±. Rin, never being someone to back down and wanting to beat some sense into what she perceived to be her deadbeat friend accepted his challenge ¡°I hope you¡¯re ready to scrub the shack floor for a month straight!¡±. Ryusei couldn¡¯t help it, a wide smile plastered itself on his face, spars made his heart race, even more so when the opponent is skilled and something¡¯s at stake. Not long after the challenge was agreed upon, they both donned the protective equipment and got into position  ¡°Ready when you are prez!¡± Ryusei taunted his opponent, it was super effective, Rin bolted towards him, swinging with killer intent, each strike being either dodged, parried or deflected, despite his attitude Ryusei wasn¡¯t fooling around. Panting, Rin was eyeing her opponent, someone who¡¯s attitude was so nonchalant, it was annoying, yet he just outmaneuvered her each time she tried to put him down ¡°What are you playing at?!¡± an angry shout left her lips as she readied another assault. The tension in the air was palpable, this had turned from a friendly challenge to a battle of egos, Souta was thankful no such challenge was levied at him, he had a feeling the loser would have hell to pay. Rin¡¯s assault was more ruthless than the last, Ryusei had got what he was looking for, he broke her veil of ice, ¡°it was time to end this¡± he thought, amidst dipping, dodging and parrying, the opportunity presented itself, Rin overcommitted on a swing, missing Ryusei completely and putting her in a vulnerable position. Like that smelled blood, Ryusei took the opportunity, Rin was off balance and open, pouncing, he struck her head, letting out a loud thud and resulting in her seated fall, the victor was declared. After dropping his weapon he extended a hand that was quickly swatted away by Rin, with her pride wounded she opted to get up on her own and with a look that could kill asked Ryusei if he was always this much of an opportunist, to which he responded while holding back a smirk ¡°Wait long enough, and the opportunity shows itself, wait too much and it disappears.¡±. With the friendly spar out of the way and a Souta who was shaking his head knowing what comes next. It was time for the victor to claim the spoils, with a devilish glimmer in his eye, Ryusei was about to voice his desire, using a tone that resembled a beggar more than a winner he began ushering the request. ¡°Listen¡­ Rin¡­, I-I-I¡¯m on the verge of failing math class, I need help! My parents are going to make mincemeat out of me if I get held a year back, that¡¯s why I proposed the challenge¡­¡± Rin, the ever devious but nonetheless kind friend of Ryusei was taken aback by the sincerity of his request, a mix of emotions running through her head, from pride to pity to even a sense of embarrassment agreed to help her failing friend. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    With that bit of drama concluded Ryusei ushered the other two back to the regular training regiment, swings, cuts, strikes and physical endurance exercises continued until the old clock that was barely still hanging on the wall loudly announced the arrival of 5PM, also known as the end of all school and club activities.


    Everyone was tired but with a sense of satisfaction on their faces as they wiped beads of sweat off their foreheads and preparing head home. Before departing the three sat in the shade of the old maple tree that was next to the training field, enjoying some cold water and chatting. Souta, with an inquisitive look on his face addressed Ryusei ¡°Ryu, how come you¡¯re nearly flunking your studies but actually good at kendo? You don¡¯t seem like the passionate working type, or is it a secret passion?¡±. Ryusei, not fond of being called a deadbeat slacker in front of his face, shot  him a glare and cleared up the issue, his older sister who graduated the same highschool before he even enrolled taught him the fundamentals. According to her, it was a good way for her to keep sharp while also bonding with her little brother. Surprisingly, more to Ryusei than anyone else, this question brought him a sense of bittersweet nostalgia of those days, now his sister was studying in Tokyo, she got admitted to one of Japan¡¯s top universities, and with a sigh he let out his thoughts: ¡°Guess that¡¯s where all the smarts went, huh, sis¡­¡±. With a bewildered look on her face, Rin, asked the million dollar question: ¡°Ryusei, what¡¯s your sister¡¯s name?¡±, ¡°Yura¡±, he answered, visibly confused by the question, he could¡¯ve sworn he told them before. Rin and Souta looked at eachother and unspokenly confirmed each other''s thoughts then turned to Ryusei who already let out the question, ¡°Is there something about Yura I should know?, to this Souta started laughing and Rin got visibly ticked off, asking if he was making fun of them but the confusion on his face was genuine and eventually she calmed down and cleared things up, ¡°Miyamoto Yura is a pretty popular figure at our school, surprised you haven¡¯t heard about her, considering she¡¯s your sister.¡± Souta chimed in to continue: ¡°She¡¯s known to have carried the kendo club to a couple of national level wins, alongside another girl, uhhh, what¡¯s her name ¡­ same age as her¡­ ah! Sato Tachibana!¡±. Thinking about his past when Yura still lived at home, Ryusei did recall her bringing home a few trophies but considering her humble and strict personality she never bragged much about anything. With the confusion cleared up the conversation moved to a more lighthearted topic, namely Souta¡¯s luck with girls. Surprisingly it was Rin who opened the can of worms, remarking that during practice Souta was rather distant and seemingly thinking of something else. Ever the opportunist, Ryusei hopped on the bandwagon, asking Souta if he¡¯d been dumped. With mounting pressure from both a concerned friend and a less so one Souta¡¯s defenses crumbled and after a massive sigh he muttered ¡°I got dumped this morning¡­Happy now?¡±. With Souta visibly upset both Ryusei and Rin decided to reassure him that one bad experience is not the end of the world, each in their own unique way of course. Rin, who has a soft side for romance novels and shows got all empathetic and started telling Souta that feeling down is normal and that it takes time to heal from such wounds. Ryusei on the other hand was a bit more calculated in his approach, both figuratively and literally, telling Souta that such relationships while important for the development of people, a lot of them end up the same way his did, in a breakup. Souta, finding neither statements particularly soothing but seeing his friends genuinely trying to prop him up while he was down did bring a smile to his face, giving them a hearty thanks, assuring them that everything is alright.


    Picking up their bags from next to the tree under which they¡¯d been sitting it was finally time to head home, but Rin, being the more perceptive of the two couldn¡¯t shake the weird feeling she had all day and decided to pop the question, ¡°Have you guys been feeling weird at all lately, like a sense of mounting dread has been building up ever since you woke up?¡±. Souta couldn¡¯t help but shrug his shoulders, while Ryusei, who had been feeling something but couldn¡¯t pinpoint it, now had a potential answer. ¡°Say, Rin, I have been feeling something throughout today, but can¡¯t quite tell what it is. I just assumed I woke up on the wrong side of the bed though¡­ Do you have any better ideas as to what it might be?¡± Rin pondered for a moment but the silence was broken, at first by a distant thunder-like explosion, then another and another ad nauseum and with each subsequent blast the sounds got closer and closer from every side, quickly culminating in a collection of unrelenting and deafening booms. With a quick look at eachother and no words necessary, the trio mutually agreed to run for the shack and once inside they locked the door, reinforcing it with various items like chairs, planks and damaged shinai, saving the usable ones for themselves, what good that would do, they were not sure. With their eyes level on the window that was facing the school gate they observed nervously, at first nothing happened, the blasts took a back seat to the anxiety of the apparent uneventfulness until something snapped all three of them back to reality and the absurdity of their situation. Marching towards the school was something one could only describe as a spawn of hell.

 Descent of Chaos

    It was moving slowly, at first being quite a ways away, only basic features being discernable, like a massive frame and a weapon of some kind in its right hand along with what seemed to be a chain in the left. With every step it took towards the school one of the three terrified students gasped with fear, each of them praying for this to be nothing more than a bad dream, an empty hope that was viciously shattered once the monstrosity stood at the gate, torso puffed out, pride gleaming in its hideous eyes. Rin couldn¡¯t take it anymore, she ducked and turned her back to the window, hands covering her face, sobbing as quietly as she could, Souta was shaking uncontrollably looking at the abomination, the human brain seemingly being incapable of processing such fear, Ryusei himself was holding back tears with everything he had, the sense of dread was unbearable as he gazed upon such an unholy form. By his mental measurements it was at least eight feet tall, possibly even more, it looked humanoid or at least that was the way his brain took in the information, burned, dark red skin was stretched over muscles, that were defined beyond the hopes of what a human could achieve naturally or otherwise. He counted four clawed fingers on the hand that was facing him, hand which held the now in full view weapon, a mix between a war axe and a middle eastern sword, it had a short handle and a blade that connected like that of an axe but which extended in a downward curvature all the way to the wrist. Hooven feet carried the beast to its horrible mission but before he could make any further observations, his attention, as well as that of the equally terrified Rin and Souta was drawn to the thing¡¯s face, as it roared with a deafening ferocity, exposing teeth that could pass for butcher¡¯s knives. The roar shook Ryusei, causing him to lose control of his tears, ducking behind the window frame similarly to how Souta did it a few seconds earlier. The trio looked at eachother, pure, unadulterated, primal fear on display on their faces but amidst the tears and horror something prompted Rin to let out a few words in a hushed, scared yet somehow defiant tone. ¡°Guys, the basement!¡± Souta and Ryusei first looked at each other bewildered then shot Rin the same look, before nodding. Without saying any words, Ryusei gestured at himself and the window, signaling that he¡¯d keep watch, then gesturing at Souta and the floor, where, under a patch of rubber carpet sat the door between them and potential salvation. Raising his eyes to the window frame again Ryusei scanned the area, the monster was now standing in the middle of the yard, talking in an alien language to a couple of smaller, green reptilian beings, Ryusei thought to himself that they were plotting how to siege the school. With Ryusei on the lookout, Souta put his strength to use, the door was heavy and unopened in quite a while so opening it was no easy feat, but with the fear of death motivating him and one silent grunt later, it gave way. Rin was the first one to slip in, holding it open for Souta, who finally called Ryusei to join them. The ¡°basement¡± as they referred to it, was significantly smaller than the shed, only designed to fit one person and a small amount of items that needed long term storage, definitely not three people at once. The atmosphere was damp and dusty, the air was warm and the space cramped, it felt like the oxygen level was depleting with every breath taken but soon enough, not even half an hour later, all three of them would be thanking their lucky stars, as the sound of broken and burning wood rang from above. After the initial blow the planks above their heads creaked as the little light that was coming through the gaps in the floorboards was progressively covered and revealed by a being that was moving along the ruins of the shed. Ryusei was looking up fear plastered all across his face with a hint of deathly defiance, Rin refused to look and quietly sobbed on his back while Souta was doing his best not to shiver. Satisfied with the reconnaissance job it did, the monster turned to leave and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.


    Minutes turned to hours and the sun gave way to the moon, the trio losing the little light that was coming through the cracks as time passed and oxygen levels were starting to diminish in the basement. With night now officially setting in and the sounds from outside dwindling to halt and giving into an eerie silence, Rin was the first to speak, ¡°We should try going outside, it¡¯s either we die down here for sure or we risk it all out there!¡± Souta, whose back was pressed against the ladder leading into the basement for hours now grunted in agreement and while scared, Ryusei was also eager to leave the damp basement atmosphere. Souta was the first to ascend, lifting the trapdoor just enough to scan the perimeter in a hope of seeing any threat before it saw them. The darkness did not allow him to see much of anything but the silence was taken as a confirmation of isolation and he flipped the trapdoor exiting first while Ryusei and Rin followed in short order.


    While the outside air was not as stale as the one below, it was anything but clean, it had a putrid smell combined with the various burning scents of wood, flesh and everything in between. It hit everyone like a suckerpunch, all of them trying to keep in gags and gasps to no avail as the smell penetrated their nostrils. Rin felt as if what she¡¯d eaten the day before was coming back to haunt her and Souta already tore the lower part of his shirt and tied it around his mouth and nose while a dizzy Ryusei was questioning the efficacy of that in his head as he was trying to regain his composure and make sense of the current situation and whether there was any hope. Ryusei checked his phone for the first time in what felt and actually was hours, he hadn¡¯t touched it while hiding in an effort to save battery as did Souta, both of them doing so because of Rin¡¯s instructions. The time read 01:32AM, they spent over half a day¡¯s worth of time hiding but now that they are out, ¡°what¡¯s next?¡± was on everyone¡¯s mind. Understanding the destruction that had just unfolded was a task none of them were equipped to handle, the shed was reduced to mere rubble, the school building was slumped to one side as if it was trying to sink into the ground, eastern side first, if you didn¡¯t know better you could mistake it for a shipwreck that somehow made landfall in the middle of a city. Rin, composing herself gestured towards them to listen, in a hushed, tired yet determined tone she proposed collecting any kendo gear that might¡¯ve survived the destruction and heading towards the nearest convenience store, before their reserves of adrenaline and energy run out for good. The plan had a million and one faults and any of those could lead to their hopefully swift deaths but looking at the alternative of wasting away cramped like a sardine in the basement was somehow even more unappealing to both Souta and Ryusei, so they agreed with Rin. The search for anything useful commenced, moving rubble, ash and charred things aside proved to be somewhat fruitful, Ryusei managed to find two shinai, neither of them were intact but there was enough left to strike at someone with but considering the size of the monster he saw earlier he doubted these would be more than mental relief if that. Souta found a backpack and a few pieces of protective gear that could be made useful given enough creativity, namely half a helmet, some torn gloves, a chestplate without the mounting harness and two boots that luckily while not the same size were of the opposing sides. Rin found one usable backpack, it was torn and burned in some spots but one could still strap it to their body and one of the compartments was apparently intact. It was not much, in fact it was far too little but the three of them had no choice but to make do with what they had, as if in an RPG type game the three of them designated tasks for each other, this experience brought them together, they were either going to make it, if at all possible or die trying as a team. Souta was given the better looking shinai and most of the protective gear as he would go in front, Rin was given the backpack in which she put the rocks she thought would hurt the most to be hit by while Ryusei got the other shinai and the rest of the protective gear. The formation had Souta leading while Rin was in the middle and Ryusei was watching their backs. Deep down all three of them knew that if they were to come face to face with one of those beings it would spell their end but having a formation of sorts somehow lessened the anxiety,  guess the human mind will look for structure even in the most unlikely of scenarios. The convenience store was not that far away, a normal walk would take the average person about ten minutes from the school and ten back. Exchanging one last look between themselves the three started heading out slowly making their way through the rubble towards what was once the school gate. Stepping outside the school perimeter felt both terrifying and relieving for everyone, tired as they may be, getting to move their bodies after such a long period of being cramped together felt liberating. The terrifying part came after they gazed at once was their city, a single gasp escaped from Rin while the other two looked mortified at the horrible display of destruction that was panning out as far as the eye can see. The landscape that unfolded before them was nothing short of a ruin, in place of most buildings stood mere piles of rubble and the eerily quiet of the night was only broken by flames that seemed to burn with an unnatural vigor and were strangely contained. What once was an easy walk filled with laughter and banter alongside friends turned into what felt like a death march, each step was hard and needed to be placed carefully in the ruins of the city while watching for any movements that might spell death. Debris and corpses littered the path forward, it was too much to look at and the trio kept a stern gaze on the path forward, their meager phone flashlights set on the lowest setting to save power and avoid detection from the horrors that might be lurking out there.


    With the walk through what seemed like hell they finally arrived at where the convenience store is supposed to be, only to find a pile of rubble and ash. Souta¡¯s blood drained from his face and his knees were one breeze away from buckling under the dread while Rin was on the verge of tears and Ryusei in adamant defiance and a touch of recklessness decided to circle de pile of debris, hoping that the back of the store was still intact and had an entrance. He found most of what he was looking for and a lot of what he wasn¡¯t, namely the back appeared to be intact but was covered by obstacles. Upon closer inspection and a few chunks of wood and concrete thrown to the side, a window frame revealed itself and he beckoned Rin and Souta to help him clear a hole big enough for a person to enter. They worked through the mounting exhaustion, hunger and thirst until an entrance was made, Rin slipping inside first with Souta following suit quickly after and Ryusei coming in last. The inside of the store was pitch black, one could not see their hand in front of their face even if they tried but something that could be readily felt was the smell of death and a dry gulp could be heard from everyone in near perfect unison. With the little light provided by their phones they started exploring the store, Souta was beaming at the ceiling, judging if it was going to fall or not but enough of the support structure was apparently intact that it would not fall unless hit pretty hard. Ryusei was cursing near a power outlet trying all sorts of different chargers he¡¯d found but to no avail, the grid was down. Meanwhile Rin was looking for food and water, nearing the counter the smell was getting stronger and that¡¯s when it happened, she stepped on something softer than the tile floor and when she pointed her light down she saw it, the owner of the store had taken it upon himself to not fall prey to the monsters, dried blood leading to a bullet sized hole in the side of his head. Rin could not even muster a scream when she saw it, all her bravado and toughness was shattered and the strength in her legs was gone, vision turning black with horror and all that was heard at that moment was a thud. Both Ryusei and Souta upon hearing that didn¡¯t even bother to call her out, whatever had happened she was in danger and they raced towards her, upon seeing the scene Souta¡¯s expression darkened and he vomited while Ryusei was visibly shocked. ¡°Souta, find a blanket or something and lay her on the counter¡­ I¡­ will take care of the body¡± with those words Ryusei bent down and picked up the owner of the store, what was once a cheery old man was now a cold heft on his back, he could not help but gag, not only at the smell but at what he was pushed to do, it felt wrong, so, so wrong but he had to do it. Stepping through the window he spotted a clearing in the debris a few meters away and put the body to rest there, ushering a quiet apology before leaving. Returning to Souta and more importantly now, Rin, he had a worried look on his face and Souta seeing that assured him that she was still breathing, hearing that a bit of relief rose inside his body as he went to check on his now quiet friend, still chest contracting and expanding at a steady rate. Although not much information could be garnered by simply looking at her, she appeared to have no major injuries, just some scratches. As he turned back, Souta whispered ¡°What did you do with the body?¡±, ¡°I took it outside, at least the old man went out on his own terms, more importantly, where¡¯s the gun?¡±. Taken aback by the response Souta pointed to a shelf, stood there was the tool that was used to escape the monsters, one way or another, a thought crept into Ryusei¡¯s mind, ¡°will they have to resort to the same?¡±, for some reason he felt like chuckling at the thought, even though the situation was anything but comical. Inspecting the firearm it was a pistol of some kind, Ryusei was not familiar with guns besides the bare basics like safety, magazine release/reload and to always treat them like they¡¯re loaded, checking for ammo, he released the magazine and it appeared to still have some shots left, how many though he could not tell.¡±Souta, we¡¯ll leave the decision on what to do with the gun later, it appears to still have some ammo, before that, let¡¯s find something to eat and drink¡±, all Souta could do was nod, Ryusei was not a very talkative person to begin with but the shift in demeanor was palpable, the spring in his voice was gone and the look in his eyes was sad and yet somehow angry, not at him but at the situation, the world even. The only things that were edible at that point were dry things like biscuits, chips and so on, lucky for them most of the bottled and canned liquids survived and as they were eating, Souta proposed the idea ¡°Ryusei, we should sleep in shifts as soon as possible, energy drinks will only get us so far.¡±, ¡°get us so far¡­¡± Ryusei thought, ¡°get us to where¡±, but he could not argue with the sound logic put forth by his friend and nodded in agreement while munching on some bread that felt like a brick. ¡°Before we do that though, let¡¯s ready some food for Rin in case she wakes up during that time, helps if the one that¡¯s awake doesn¡¯t have to scramble to find something and she¡¯ll be hungry for sure¡±, Souta shot him a thumbs up ¡°Great idea, let¡¯s make sure she wakes up to some great food!¡±. His enthusiasm for his friend made Ryusei smile slightly, ¡°Yeah¡­let¡¯s¡±. With the agreement in place they gathered some biscuit packs, potato chips bags, two energy drinks and some bottles of water, placing them to the side, as for how they were gonna determine who went to sleep first, the classic game of rock-paper-scissors was employed, and with a resounding victory of Souta¡¯s rock over Ryusei¡¯s scissors, he laid down on the floor and rest his head on the side of his kendo helmet that was now covered with a towel to make it somewhat more pleasant. Left utterly alone in the store, Ryusei took account of the situation, it was nearly 4AM, they were unsure if anyone else in the city was alive, the power grid was down, they had no idea where to go and to top it all off one of them was unconscious. The only problem that maybe had a temporary solution was that of their dwindling phone batteries, convenience stores usually had some cheap power banks for sale, if he was lucky he¡¯d find some and they maybe had some charge. Rummaging through rubble, and various miscellaneous items that were of no use to him currently he located some power banks, plugging one into his phone it started charging, seeing a few more he took them and plugged Rin¡¯s and Souta¡¯s phones as well, the banks had indicator LEDs which read that they were only half full but anything was better than nothing at that point. Time was passing slowly, he could not come up with anything when wondering just what those abominations were or where they  came from, or what their powers are. They looked like monsters that walked straight out of a video game, powers and all but that was just impossible. As he was pondering trying not to fall asleep before his turn came all their phones lit up at the same time, lunging for them in order to prevent them from making a sound that never came, Ryusei read the title of the silent alert: ¡°In attention to all survivors wherever you may be, this is a message from the United States Military¡±. Intrigued by the prospect, he also spotted the WIFI icon light up together with the alert he realized they were not alone in the world for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Turning his screen brightness to the lowest setting allowed, limiting refresh rate and tweaking every available setting in order to save battery he started reading. ¡°In attention to all survivors wherever you may be, this is a message from the United States Military. As you have surely already experienced we are dealing with an unprecedented enemy that threatens our very existence and whose origins are as unknown as their objectives. All the world governments have stopped any bickering and hostilities and decided to come together as one to best combat this. Firstly, we have deployed a global array of satellites, allowing  free internet connectivity from any device capable. Secondly, based on preliminary casualty data we have decided to consolidate as many survivors and resources in a few key locations, those being: the east coast of the United States, especially Washington D.C., central Europe (Germany, Poland, France), central Asia (China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan). We will update these recommendations as more data flows in, please remember to follow the guidance of your local government first and foremost. Stay safe and vigilant, humanity will prevail!¡±. Having read that Ryusei could not help but wonder, how bad must the global damage be if all the world governments conceded guide their people to such  few locations, on top of that, where precisely in those locations and how does one get there, his mind was a mess and seeing as the clock read 8AM he woke Souta up, it was Ryusei¡¯s turn to sleep.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Groggy and still visibly tired, Souta got up and before he could assess his surroundings, Ryusei pointed a phone in his face and prompted him to read, after which he laid down, arms under his head acting as a pillow and drifted asleep. Souta scanned the information, it seemed unbelievable, had humanity been reduced to a mere defensive fleeing? As he kept reading a message interrupted his lecture: ¡°We are planning a bombing raid and you are currently in the target area, please respond to this message immediately so we can begin extraction efforts!¡±. This was going from bad to worse, Ryusei went to sleep a little under an hour ago and Rin was still out cold, now they were going to get bombs dropped on their heads, this must be a joke he thought, yet it was as real as the monsters and the destruction around them. Gulping a dried breath, Souta shook Ryusei awake ¡°Ugh, is my time up?, You¡¯re joking, right?¡± rubbing his eyes he set his eyes on his friend who had the look of death painted on his face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, are monsters around?¡±, he did not need details to know it was bad, he could simply infer it from Souta¡¯s expression. Ryusei took the phone he was handed and read the dreadful message ¡°Shit!¡± was all he could say as he angrily tapped the ¡°Reply for rescue button¡±. He was not very hopeful, rightfully so, if the damage was on a scale like this, what did three meager lives matter, ¡°nothing¡± was the obvious answer. A link to a map was also provided with the message, besides it reading ¡°04:12:41 until bombing raid starts¡± at the top, it also had one key point marked ¡°Resistance Center¡±. The map was as bare bones as possible, providing only a view of the streets and buildings, landmarks were completely excluded save for the singular marked point, judging by where it was, Ryusei figured it was the cinema that served as the last bastion of his once beautiful city. ¡°Souta, check the perimeter outside, we need to get out of here or we¡¯re toast!¡±, a scared and somewhat angry Souta shot back ¡°You hit the rescue button right?!, Don¡¯t you think we should wait?¡± Souta¡¯s naivety sent pangs of anger into Ryusei and he snapped ¡°No one is coming to rescue us!, Who gives a shit about three lives?!, Damn it, I¡¯ll check outside, gather as many energy drinks and some canned food, also, wake her up, if she doesn¡¯t budge, we''re carrying her!¡±. Souta was visibly taken aback, he¡¯d never seen his friend so angry, so desperate and devoid of hope but ultimately, he did as instructed.  Ryusei slowly stepped outside, if someone told him it was still night time he would¡¯ve believed them, the sky was gray and sunlight barely protruded the heavy dust clouds, this was hell. Looking around he could not spot any hostels, just the obvious signs that they were here not very long ago. He took a moment to reflect on how he acted towards Souta, he wasn¡¯t proud of it but was conscious he might need to do it again, maybe even towards Rin, he hated it, but could not see any other way, their lives were at stake. Souta found a bunch of canned foods, small sweets and some energy drinks, he threw that and what they¡¯d prepared for Rin to eat upon her waking up, judging by Ryusei¡¯s demeanor, she was not going to enjoy breakfast. ¡°Coast is clear!¡±, bellowed a voice from the entrance whose hurried steps were getting ever closer. Taking a look at the backpack Souta prepared, Ryusei nodded in approval and shifted his gaze towards the still unconscious Rin, ¡°Did you try waking her up?¡±, his tone was calmer than before but a certain coldness was obvious as the missing daylight, something about Ryusei changed and all Souta could muster was a quiet ¡°no¡± as he focused on putting the kendo gear back on. He made his way to Rin and looked down, her still figure is much more peaceful than her usual self he though but this was not the time for that, he put his hands on her shoulders and gently rocked her left and right a few times, eventually getting a response in the form of a cough and her eyes opening. She sat upright looking around, thoughts of what happened before her collapse rushing into her head, and upon realizing it was not merely a bad dream a silent tear escaped her right eye. As soon as she could perceive the world around her again, a distant yet familiar voice filled her in on the details, they were running for the cinema or die trying. At first she wanted to protest but the chilling fact that they were a mere point on a map made her reconsider, on the other hand Ryusei stated that there was no enemy in sight, so what gave them the idea to carpet bomb the city, upon voicing this concern a simple answer that she could¡¯ve thought of had she been more alert was pointed out. ¡°Look at the map, they are bombing everything around the cinema and a few other buildings in quite a large radius, if it¡¯s not to kill the enemy this will surely make it harder for them to attack again, the officials are most likely betting on an air evacuation.¡±. Standing, Rin had gathered herself, the cinema was a bit over a kilometer away, usually  a hearty and enjoyable walk, now a run for survival. As they were heading towards the exit, Souta spoke up, ¡°We have a bit under four hours, I suggest we take the path that puts us out in the open the least and listen carefully before taking any corner.¡±. Ryusei agreed, the logic was sound, even though they could not see the enemy that did not mean it could not see them and taking the alley path wasn¡¯t that much of a detour.


    Once again the three of them stood in front of the destruction brought by this unknown enemy, now running for their lives not only under that threat but that of the radical actions taken by their fellow humans.

 Hellward

    The city was nothing short of a ruin, the bombing raid could¡¯ve happened while they were asleep and it would¡¯ve looked the same, rubble was everywhere, once busy roads had deep multi-man sized craters and unnaturally violent yet contained flames littered the scene. ¡°This is the apocalypse¡­¡± was all Rin could gasp as each step through the dark narrow streets they were forced to traverse got more and more treacherous, one wrong step and you could snap your ankle or worse, leaving you stranded in a nightmare. As much as they tried to avoid looking at the macabre scenery they still had to look at their feet and sometimes what looked like bodies or even worse, parts of bodies would appear, each time they had to avoid one the already grim march got a little bit more so.


    Having walked a good third of a kilometer, the journey went as smoothly as they could ask, ¡°Ryusei, how much do we have left?¡±, asked Souta in a tired tone as he sat down on a rock to catch his breath ¡°Approximately three and a half hours¡±, answered Ryusei in a distant tone as he was addressing the reason they stopped, namely the fact that the only way forward was an open area, once a parking lot, now a potential killing ground. The trio was hiding in the shadows of a half collapsed building, while it provided minimal assurance in terms of structural safety, it was useful cover.


    Up until now they were moving in the unseen, avoiding any open space and now they were staring down unfamiliar territory, Rin was scanning the area and quietly mumbling to herself while Ryusei was looking for any sign of enemies. Not a moving soul, human or otherwise was visible, a deafening silence consuming everyone¡¯s thoughts, the only outlier being the occasional beam of sunlight that managed to pierce the dust clouds. ¡°Shit!¡±, Ryusei mumbled to himself ¡°We have to move, now! If the sun comes up proper we¡¯ll be even more exposed than we already are!¡±. Rin, not too pleased at the idea glared daggers at him ¡°Are you insane?!, let¡¯s keep looking to make sure there are no abominations around!¡±. All the while Souta couldn¡¯t help but feel like a spectator to the bickering of his two closest friends, should this have been an argument over school or kendo, he would¡¯ve laughed. Ryusei seemed dead set on making the run as soon as possible while Rin was understandably scared of doing so, Souta could see where they¡¯re both coming from and even though he leaned more towards the side of safety himself, he decided not to intervene, letting them settle their dispute was the fastest way to a solution. Ryusei was taken aback, unable to understand how Rin could not see it the way he does, hiding and wasting time means certain death and with the sun coming while the dust is settling their chances of actually making it diminish, he had to act and there was only one way, lead by example. ¡°Souta, pass me an energy drink.¡±, this left Rin bewildered as to his intentions, up until now they were arguing as to how to proceed and now he suddenly got tired? Souta, similarly taken aback couldn¡¯t help it but abide by his friend''s request. Can in hand, Ryusei quickly downed the contents, got up and looked at his friends ¡°If I make it to the other side you two are following me!¡±. With these words he turned around and started running through the parking lot, it couldn¡¯t have been more than a hundred meters wide but the debris and craters made it more difficult, slowing Ryusei down significantly. The two who were left behind couldn¡¯t keep their jaws from dropping to the floor at their friend''s stupidity ¡°That idiot is trying to get himself and us killed or what?!¡± is all Rin could hiss as her eyes were locked on Ryusei who was flying through the parking lot towards what was hopefully a safe clutter of buildings. His body felt light, his movements precise and form balanced, somehow Ryusei was feeling on top of the world and one short jump later over what looked like a foot deep hole in the concrete, Ryusei finally arrived to safety, no sounds or movements in sight, just his heart pounding from the effort. He could not help but think to himself how someone who barely slept four hours just did that, as a matter of fact, both Souta and Rin were unusually lively as well ¡°There must be something else in play¡­¡±, he thought to himself but quickly pushed it out of his mind, it was time to revel in his small victory and the emergency internet would allow him to do just that, pulling out his phone he sent a sticker of an anime character taunting his opponents in the group chat with his friends. Rin was squeezing the phone so hard the whites of her knuckles were visible and when Souta tried to calm her down all he got as a reply is what Ryusei had coming to him once she got her hands on him. ¡°He¡¯d better wish they get him before I do, that cocky bastard has something else coming!¡±. Souta seeing it¡¯s now safe to pass decided to lean into Rin¡¯s anger, convincing her that the sooner she gets to Ryusei the better it¡¯ll be and with a hurt sense of pride driving her, Rin¡¯s lean body danced between debris, pothole and everything in between. Although Souta was not out of shape by any stretch of the imagination, keeping up with Rin was a tall order he did not meet, lagging behind her, in the end both making it to where a seemingly calm Ryusei was waiting for them. ¡°You guys made it, come on, we don¡¯t have time to spare, there¡¯s still quite a bit to go.¡±, his greeting came in a calm yet hasty tone while Rin¡¯s response was nothing but that ¡°You could¡¯ve gotten us all killed!¡± lunging to strike him in the side of the head with her fist, pure anger on her face. Seeing the attack coming, Ryusei grabbed her hand and quickly immobilized her by pinning her to a nearby wall, his hands firmly keeping hers still as he leaned close to her face ¡°Staying hidden solves nothing!¡±. Rin was even angrier than before, letting a flurry of kicks in her target¡¯s direction, none of them finding their mark, by the time she got her leg in the air Ryusei had already retreated. Anger changed to disbelief, he was always sharp but that reaction time was nothing short of superhuman coupled with his change in attitude caused a knot to tie in the stomach of the recently fiery Rin. Souta was surprised as well, exclaiming ¡°That must¡¯ve been one hell of an energy drink I gave you!¡±, Ryusei couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, ¡°Yeah, must¡¯ve been.¡± then look at Rin who was still in shock and issue an apology ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry if I went too hard but I genuinely believe that this is the only way we have to survive, you¡¯re free to beat me to a pulp after we¡¯re safe¡±, as he was saying that his face slowly turned red and couldn¡¯t look at her straight anymore. This unusually emotional expression from Ryusei made Rin feel warmth wash over her, she had known him for years on end and while he rarely shows it, he¡¯s awfully soft on the inside. This was the same Ryusei she grew up with and with that she decided  to give him a piece of something he¡¯s familiar with as well ¡°I¡¯ll be holding you to that once you get us out of here! But for now, I¡¯m sorry as well, let¡¯s make sure we get out of here¡±. Souta who was sitting in the corner sipping on one of those ¡°miracle¡± energy drinks he gave to Ryusei wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed in relief ¡°You two should keep the newlyweds routine till after we¡¯re safe¡­¡±, with that remark, Rin was back to her usual self ¡°You wanna die so bad?! That can be arranged big guy, no otherworldly monsters needed, just mention me marrying that bastard over there one more time and see what happens!¡±. Ryusei, initially put on the spot just as much as Rin by Souta¡¯s remark, now saw an opportunity to rally the group and get a bit of a jab at her ¡°You want to say I¡¯m not marriage material, you hurt me Rin¡­, On a more serious note, if we have time to joke around we should move, the bombing raid is only three hours away!¡± With the grim reminder that the area will be getting leveled soon, the three decided to resume their march towards the cinema.


    The next stage of their journey took them through a complex of residential blocks, buildings that once stood tall, housing tens if not thousands of people now reduced to nothing but barren towers, their shattered glass littering the way akin to a minefield. The narrow streets were deadly gambits, each corner they took was accompanied by anxiety and fear, knowing that death or worse could be on the other side. The dust was slowly giving way to sunrays of ever increasing strength, on any normal day this would be a reason for joy, now though it¡¯s but a grim reminder not only that time is running out but that the darkness that gave them solace is fading. They were making progress, slow and steady wins the race after all, and if the opponent is death, taking risks is ill advised. At about the halfway point by Ryusei¡¯s judgements at least a strange cracking sound started to echo through the air, the group froze in their tracks, terror, visible on all of their faces as they scanned the area  only to notice that a building on their left was releasing a cloud of dust as it was slowly leaning towards another, the dominos are about to fall. ¡°SHIT!¡± was all Rin could let out before Ryusei grabbed both her and Souta by the hand and started running with them in tow ¡°We need to get to the edge of the neighborhood as fast as possible or we¡¯re gonna be buried alive!¡±. The other two coming to their senses after the realization that death was once again in reach of them shook themselves free from Ryusei and started running alongside him ¡°You don¡¯t plan on leaving us behind again, do you?¡±, shot Souta with a death defiant grin, Ryusei¡¯s reply being in kind ¡°Not if you can¡¯t keep up I don¡¯t!¡± as he sprinted over a short clearing, vaulting over a pile of rubble that was once a fence and swung from a bent lamp post into a perfect landing. Rin, more surprised than pissed off, got closer to Souta ¡°Keep an eye on him, I¡¯m barely keeping myself upright and I can see you¡¯re not much better yourself, those movements are insane¡­ no few hours of sleep or energy drinks will do that.¡± Souta himself was no idiot, he found Ryusei¡¯s explosion of strength suspect as well but he gave it the interpretation of his own tired mind, now that someone else was seeing it as well assured him of the fact that he was still sane. Brushing that aside, Souta gave Rin a silent nod, they still had to get out of this mess, with each subsequent  collapse or crumbling the chain destruction seemed to head in another direction to that of their running and as they approached the end of the neighborhood they stopped and took stock of the situation. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Ryusei checked the time, one and a half hours until the bombing raid, they got through the residential complex faster than he¡¯d expected, this gave them leeway but by no means did it give them time to slack. As he ordered his thoughts he heard panting and a thud, looking back he saw Rin, hands on the knees breathing heavily and Souta sitting with his back leaning against a raised block of concrete, head tilted skywards heaving. Ryusei was a bit surprised, to him the run felt normal but before he even got a word out to ask if they were fine Souta in between heavy breaths let out ¡°Ryu-ugh-Ryusei, slow down a bit, for God¡¯s sake, what¡¯s gotten into you, last time I checked you weren¡¯t a top athlete¡±. Confused, Ryusei considered his actions, to him it felt normal, mind and body were in sync when he ran, his mind ran at lightning speeds, both in and out of motion while in retrospect he felt fast it also felt rather effortless, this contrast between his condition and his friends exhausted states caused an eerie feeling to bubble inside but he pushed it down, they still weren¡¯t safe. The last obstacle between them and the cinema was a stretch of road that led into the entertainment district, where the cinema was located, having seen the bombing map Ryusei remembered that a few other buildings were also not marked for destruction, meaning that at least a few dozen people survived.


    From their position at the edge of what was once a very populated neighborhood they could see the path forward but there stood an impossible challenge, illuminated by the now properly risen sun a red skinned, horned and hooven abomination stood tall, clutching an axe in each hand, scanning the perimeter. ¡°Shit!¡± was all Rin could let out, ¡°Wh-what do we do?¡±, the whimper came from Souta who lost all the color in his face upon seeing the monster while Ryusei looked at it with unbridled hate and killer intent ¡°We can¡¯t kill it, can we?¡±, he spat out, venom tainting each word as it came out. Rin turned at him, fury and fear burning one another in her eyes ¡°Are you insane?! You might¡¯ve gotten a bit faster but you¡¯re still no match for that thing, look at what they did to the city!¡±, sighing he had come to the same conclusion as well ¡°Guess you¡¯re right, we¡¯ll have to get past it, I¡¯ve got a plan, listen up.¡±. With all eyes on him Ryusei arranged a miniature version of the stretch of road in front of them, marking out three key piles of debris that they¡¯d need to move between in record time ¡°The plan¡¯s simple, Rin throws a rock as far as she can in the opposite direction, bastard gets distracted and we make a run for the next key point, rinse and repeat until we¡¯re past, the runs are gonna be quite tight but not impossible. Once we¡¯re near the safe perimeter we should be able to see some people and maybe they can help.¡±. Each of them knew that the plan was nothing short of suicide but so was staying back and getting bombed and when they thought about it, so was them moving all the way here, they¡¯d been riding the edge all this time, so what¡¯s one more? With a grim determination, Rin picked up a rock that looked like it¡¯d fly decently well and aimed, she wasn¡¯t aiming at the monster, not even in what she thought it was it¡¯s field of vision but instead to the opposite direction of their next safe point. With unnatural accuracy and technique the pebble found its mark and accomplished the mission, the monster mover to check it out and the trio ran their hearts out for about a hundred meters, ducking behind the designated debris pile. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it worked!¡± exclaimed Souta in an enthusiastic yet scared whisper ¡°Great throw Rin, I hope there¡¯s more where that came from, we¡¯re gonna need it¡±. The creature was now facing the opposite direction of where the group was and of their next destination, so with a silent nod they decided to make a run for it without any throw ¡°One more, I think I can see people!¡± Souta was right, at the edge of the road stood two people, silhouettes too small making it unclear to discern any detail but none the less human. In the meantime the monster had turned around, scanning the perimeter again, seemingly looking for something¡­or someone ¡°Shit!, do you think it heard us?!¡±  Rin let out as a hurried whisper. Silent in contemplation Ryusei was considering their options, they could go for Rin throwing again but if the stone gets seen as coming from their location they¡¯re doomed, they could wait and hope it gets bored before everything gets bombed to hell and back, or they could make an insane run for it. None of the options were particularly good and while the bombing raid was still quite a ways away, the monster could check their spot at any moment ¡°Rin, try luring him to our first hiding spot, this is gonna let us make a run out of its line of sight.¡±. Contemplating Rin was judging both distance and angle, the throw would need to be pin point accurate ¡°On my mark, we start running!¡± she let out in a hushed but determined tone as she let the second pebble fly. When it was about halfway to its destination she gave the command and the group sprang, as they did the sound of shattering glass echoed behind them and in no time the pieces fell into place, the monster was inspecting their first hiding spot while they were closer to safety than ever. ¡°Bold move to aim for some glass, what was your plan had you missed?¡± asked Ryusei in a monotone voice ¡°Then it would¡¯ve been a fifty-fifty on us making it or not, you like those as well odds, don¡¯t you?¡± she smirked as the words were leaving her lips. Knowing he¡¯d been outwitted, Ryusei asked Souta if he still saw people there, the answer to which was positive, now their forms were easier to make out and it appeared as they were holding guns, defending the small alleway that led to the cinema and some other adjacent buildings marked as safe on the map. ¡°...about 200-250 meters¡±  whispered Ryusei under his breath ¡°Speaking of odds, what are the odds we make it if we set off now you guys? That thing is still busy turning rubble into fine powder and we might just be able to do it!¡±. Enticed by the idea of safety and seeing people with actual weapons Souta and Rin were quick to agree this time seeing as their enemy was for all intents and purposes, fully distracted. Each of them burst out of the hiding spot with an impressive speed, jumping and vaulting over debris and holes in the road as they made their way to what they perceived as salvation. From behind an inhuman sound was heard, anger, pure unadulterated rage emanating from every decibel and then it happened, as he looked back, Ryusei could see an axe flying towards him, but between his neck and it was Rin¡¯s, so in a desperate last ditch effort to save, her, he broke his run and pulled her into his arms, both of them falling on his back, the axe barely missing her scalp ¡°RUN SOUTAAAAAAA, ALERT THEM, HURRY!¡±. The monster was running towards them full throttle, a disheveled Rin and a panicking Ryusei scrambled to their feet and as they prepared to regain momentum only one of them managed to run again as Ryusei was lifted by the neck ¡°G¡­o, ugh¡± is all he managed to let out and Rin with the look of sheer terror on her face ran and didn¡¯t look back. Souta had already made it to the guards and between catching his breath he told them of what was going on and they rushed to the scene only to run into Rin, tears streaking on her face ¡°My-my friend, help him, please¡± was all she could let out before sobbing completely overtook her.


    Tears clouded his vision and breathing was harder each time he exhaled, kicking, flailing and even biting got him no closer to freedom as the abomination was staring at him, a contorted sense of pleasure was palpable on its face.