Iwatobi smelled like blood.  There had been little struggle, no fires, no bodies in the streets.  It seemed that either people had become zombies or had fled.  There was nothing in the town worth saving.  Yet Rin was determined to salvage what he could.  He had to find his sister and his friends.  He had trekked from Tottori, avoiding major roads and the gangs that roved them.  His pack was light, his school bag containing only a few more rations of canned food and some warmer clothes.  His only defense had been a baseball bat he had snatched from the training facility he used to work at.  It was dented, bloody; he suspected it would break soon.

Rin panted heavily, aware of his fatigue and his filth.  He had walked straight to Iwatobi, normally a thirty-minute drive by car.  He had not bathed since the outbreak started and his exposed face and arms were caked in grime.

A tear ran down his face as he looked at the once quiet town and what had become of it.  The outbreak had started a few weeks ago in Europe because of some biological warfare.  No one in Japan had paid it much mind until it hit the islands and spread like wildfire.  The first attack had been reported two days ago and already the densely populated country had all but collapsed.

Before the phones went out Rin had called Gou to tell her to stay put, to find the guys and be safe, that he’d come for her.

He saw a figure shuffling before him.  Rin drew his bat up defensively and froze, a gasp escaping his lips.  The figure was massive, muscular even in the early stages of decay.  It leaned heavily on its right leg, the left being twisted and mangled, the bone protruding and crunching whenever weight was put on it.  Rags of sullied white and blue hung over its chest.  Dark brown hair hung in its face, but when it raised its head Rin saw a visage half ripped apart - teeth and cheekbone exposed, eye missing - and half sewer green with decomposition.  His crimson eyes met its singular emerald green eye.

“Makoto…”  Rin voice quivered as the walking corpse that had been his friend shambled forward with the intention of devouring him.

Rin thought to flee, to run past, but he knew that the low grumble that issued from Mako’s mouth would only summon other zombies.  He had learned that they were incredibly sensitive to sound, though their eyesight was poor, and they seemed to communicate with groans and hisses.  He knew he had no choice.

He allowed Makoto to stumble to him, arms outstretched to reveal several broken or missing fingers.  He lunged and Rin sidestepped as he had discovered to be an effective strategy.  He felt a gritty hand around his throat as Mako grabbed him.  He had never encountered a zombie so quick.  He felt his feet disengage from the ground as his former friend hefted him up, slamming his back to the pavement.

Rin choked as the air was squeezed from him, he watched Mako’s face loom closer to him, teeth gnashing.  He pulled his legs between them, pressing his boots against Mako’s chest and kicking as though he were doing an open air turn in the fly, powerful and precise.  He felt the hand disengage from his throat and he sprung to his feet.  Mako was on his back, struggling to regain his footing.  Rin wasted no time; he felt the hot tears running over his dirty cheeks as he raised his weapon over his head before crashing it onto the corpse’s face.  The zombie let out a cry that was almost Makoto’s voice and Rin tried to contain his own cry of anguish, knowing that he’d only attract more enemies.  He raised his bat, now dripping with black, spoiled blood and bashed the mangled face once more.  Three times.  Four times.  He did not stop until the cries vanished, until his friend’s head was a bloodied paste of brains and bones.

Rei stood next to the swimming pool outside. The public pool. How everyone fit in it was beyond him. It seemed logically impossible. But, no one was there; not even water was present in the worn down pool before him. The cool air made him shiver, and he zipped his dark blue jacket up all the way, covering him completely. 

It had been so long since he had seen the sun, the glorious, beautiful, magnificent, warm, pool-permitting sun. He shivered again as he felt another breeze, one that took his glasses with it.