Night had fallen over Japan, shrouding the streets of Chiba in darkness. With the power cut off in the prefecture, navigating the streets had become virtually impossible for any normal individual. Creating an especially dangerous environment to be in when the undead littering the streets.
With my special abilities, moving through the thick darkness was effortless; it felt like my eyes could see clearly in the night, much like an owl's. But for the small girl I had just rescued, venturing out in the dark was far too risky. I had saved her. It was now my responsibility to keep her safe, so I set out to find a secure place for us to stay.
After traveling from rooftop to rooftop, I found an empty apartment on the top floor of a condo that would keep us safe for the night. Carefully, I slid down the wall of the building and opened the apartment's window from the outside. Hoping inside, I placed the girl down and carefully made sure the apartment was empty.
Once I was confident we were safe, I barricaded the door and turned my focus to the kitchen, hoping to find something to eat. I rummaged through the cabinets, and to my delight, I found a bag of rice tucked away in the pantry. As I continued searching, I stumbled upon a portable gas stove hidden beneath a pile of forgotten utensils. After washing the rice with water from a water bottle, it seemed the city's water supply had stopped working. I placed a small pot on the burner and waited in an uncomfortable position in silence.
As I waited for the rice to cook, I glanced over at the girl sitting on the couch in the living room. Although she seemed to know who I was, she hadn't said a word to me—other than my name, at least.
Hachiman.
My name was Hachiman.
I wanted to know more, but I didn't press her. She had just gone through hell and lost two people who had been taking care of her, possibly her parents. Eventually, the rice finished cooking. Giving me an excuse to end the awkward silence.
"I think that should do it," I said as I turned off the gas to my newly acquired mini camp stove. The blue flames extinguished, and I lifted the pot cover to reveal the tantalizing sight of white rice.
I grabbed a bowl from nearby and filled it with a generous portion of rice. As I picked up a pair of chopsticks, I glanced back at the young girl.
"Here. I'm sure you're hungry," I said as I knelt in front of her, my hood now off my head. I offered her the bowl and chopsticks. "Sorry, it's a bit mushy. I think it's my first time making rice."
The girl didn't respond, but she accepted the bowl and chopsticks. However, she didn't eat. Unsure of what to do next, I went and grabbed a bowl for myself.
Sitting down at a respectful distance, I began to eat. However, as I chewed, I realized I didn't feel hungry at all. I also didn't feel exhausted. I had been awake for around 9 hours since I found myself in that park, but I still felt completely alert.
This isn't right. I thought and continued to eat. I know I'm different, but not having to eat isn't normal. It isn't human. What… am I?
"Can you tell me your name?" I asked, finally snapping the girl out of her daze. She looked at me with hurt in her eyes. "You see… I had an accident recently," I said, pointing to the scar on my forehead. "It may be hard to believe, but I've lost my memories. Honestly, I didn't even know my name until you said it earlier."
"What?" the girl whispered.
"It's true. Believe me. Since you knew my name, that must mean you know me, right? What… what are we? What kind of relationship do we have? Are we… family?" I asked, careful and uncertain.
"You're serious," she said. "Hachiman, I'm… I'm your…" The girl hesitated, her eyes trembling as she gripped her bowl tightly. Lowering her head, she wouldn't meet my gaze. "My name is Rumi Tsurumi. I'm… your cousin. We're family."
It was a lie, that much I could tell.
Still, I decided to go along with it, at least for now. Despite my incredible abilities, the world outside was horrible—terrifying, really. I couldn't imagine how things must have been for Rumi, especially since her parents had just been ripped apart and eaten in front of her.
"I see... we're family. Well, Rumi, I'm sorry I couldn't help save your parents, too," I said, remembering the gruesome corpse of the man at the entrance of the outlet mall. "I should have gotten there faster."
"Those two weren't my parents," Rumi whispered, her lip quivering and her shoulders shaking. It seemed that her emotions were bubbling over. "Those people were my neighbors. They were taking care of me. But my mom... my dad killed her. He was one of them. And then… Satoshi died trying to slow them down. Tsukiko-san… she left me. I thought… I thought I was going to die!"
Rumi started crying, her tears falling into the slowly cooling rice. Her chest shook as sobs broke through. It was clear she had been holding everything in since this nightmare began, and with the earlier events weighing heavily on her, it seemed she couldn't hold her emotions inside any longer.
I placed my bowl down and walked over to her. Taking a seat beside her, I lifted my hand but hesitated. After taking a deep breath, I placed it gently on her head and stroked her hair.
The action felt familiar.
It felt right.
In that moment, I concluded that I must have been an older brother before, and whoever that Komachi person was, she was definitely my sister. Call it a gut feeling.
Despite Rumi's clear lie about being my cousin, I couldn't turn her away. She knew me, at least to some degree, which meant she must have held some significance in my life. That was enough for me to decide that I would take care of her through whatever apocalypse lay outside.
"It's okay, Rumi. You're not alone. I'm here. I'll make sure nothing happens to you. I'm… I'm strong. That means I can protect you. And I promise you, I won't abandon you, no matter what," I said, staring into her eyes. I grew worried as tears welled up in her eyes.
To my surprise, Rumi jumped into my chest and hugged me tightly—at least, I think she did—and began to sob into my jacket. I quickly caught her bowl of rice before it fell and placed it on the nearby coffee table. Rumi immediately began to unload all the repressed emotions that she had buried deep inside in order to appear strong.
"Hachiman… Hachiman…" she whispered into my jacket. "I was so scared!"
Carefully, I wrapped my arms around her and rubbed her back soothingly. "It's okay... you're safe now. Nothing is going to happen to you."
Rumi nodded but continued to hold on to me, as if letting go would make me disappear. "I'm not going anywhere, Rumi. But I need you to eat. You need your strength. Can you do that?"
Eventually, Rumi nodded and released me. Seeing her bowl on the coffee table, she reached for it and began to eat. As I was about to stand up, her hand grabbed my leather jacket to keep me in place. I gave her a small smile and sat back down.
"So… what can you tell me about… well, myself?" I asked awkwardly.
x x x
Apparently, I was an asshole.
Or at least, that's what I picked up from what Rumi told me.
"So, my grand plan was to get my classmates to scare all your classmates into accepting you in a convoluted way into their group? But that plan ultimately didn't work and ended up causing everyone to stop being friends with each other after they tried to sacrifice one another," I recounted. "Yeah, I don't see how that plan would have ever worked."
Rumi nodded. "Well, it worked—at least for a little while. So I guess you could say your plan was sort of successful."
I hummed and leaned back on the couch. "Still… it was a cold plan. It may have offered the best immediate result, but in the long run, it only ended up excluding you and making things worse. I'm sorry."
"No! It's okay. Really. But I don't want you to think negatively about yourself because of that story," Rumi said. "Uh, let's see. What else can I tell you? Ah! You see, you always had that distant look, and you didn't go out of your way to talk to people. You also said some pretty strange things about society. Wait, those aren't positive things… even so! I know you're a good person, Hachiman. You were always kind to me whenever my family visited."
I smiled at her. While it wasn't much, Rumi had given me some valuable information, such as the names of those people within my memories.
The black-haired girl was Yukino Yukinoshita, and the peach-haired girl was Yui Yuigahama. According to Rumi, they were my clubmates.
As for Komachi, Rumi confirmed that she was indeed my sister. But Rumi was a little unsure. She had mentioned that Komachi had been playfully flirting with me on the river. Last I checked, siblings didn't usually do that. That left me second-guessing whether Komach was my sister at all.
Another sad fact I learned was that I apparently didn't have any friends.
"I see. Well, I'm happy to hear that, Rumi," I said as I stood up and stretched my back, though it wasn't necessary. "It's time to go to sleep. We'll need to rest for tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? W-what are we going to do?" Rumi asked nervously.
I turned to her, my expression turning serious. "I'm not sure what happened to me, but I do know that Komachi is out there somewhere. I have to find her, Yukino, and Yui. I need to make sure they're safe."
"But… It's dangerous out there. Why can't we stay? It's safe here!" Rumi jumped to her feet and grabbed my arm. "Please! Let's stay, okay?"
I shook my head but offered the scared girl a reassuring smile. "We can't do that. I have to find them because that's all I can do right now. Remember what I told you? I'll keep you safe. But I also have to make sure they're okay, too. You remember what I did back at the mall, right? I'm really strong and fast, so I won't let anything happen to you. You have to trust me to protect you."
Rumi flinched, the memories of the outlet mall still fresh in her mind. She looked like she wanted to refuse, but after a moment of silence, she nodded. "Okay… I'll trust you, Hachiman."
"Good. Now get some sleep."
Although she still looked troubled, Rumi nodded and grabbed the sheets I had set out for her on the couch. "Can… can we sleep in the same room?" she asked nervously. She was scared. She was traumatized.
"Yeah, we can do that," I replied gently. "But I'll stay up and keep watch for a bit, so feel free to sleep." I hoped my smile was calming. She nodded and lay down, pulling the blanket over her body.
"Hachiman… goodnight."
"Goodnight, Rumi."
It didn't take long for Rumi to fall asleep. As for me, I walked over to the window in the living room and looked down at the large number of infected on the streets. As the hours ticked by, I never felt the need to sleep. At some point, I even lay down and closed my eyes. Heck, I even counted sheep. I tossed and turned for hours, but I never slipped into the realm of dreams.
It was then that I finally came to terms with the truth.
My body didn't need to sleep.
x x x
"Sir, p-pardon my intrusion!"
Korey Nash's voice trembled slightly as he hesitated to step into the sanctity of Albert Wesker's office.
The stark, imposing space was filled with an air of precision and control, the harsh fluorescent lights illuminating a myriad of charts, documents, and maps that covered the expansive walls.
Albert sat behind a massive desk, focused on his readings, his expression unreadable beneath his sunglasses as he paused abruptly in his concentration. As he turned to Korey, an icy intensity radiated from his piercing gaze, the kind that could make even the most confident man quail.
"Well? Out with it," Albert commanded, his voice resonating with authority and impatience.
Korey took a deep, steadying breath, his heart racing. "I'm sorry, sir! But… we've found one." Each word was laced with urgency and fear. He approached the desk cautiously, a tablet clutched tightly in his hands.
With deliberate care, he extended the device towards Albert.
Albert's gloved hand snatched the tablet, his fingers barely grazing Korey's as he activated the screen, scaring the man to his core. As the video unfolded, a hooded figure, clad in a sleek black leather jacket, could be seen moving through the streets of an infected-ridden city, moving with an almost supernatural grace. The figure sprinted with blistering speed, leaping over rooftops and scaling walls as if they were the ground itself, each movement a display of overwhelming physical prowess.
As the footage continued, Korey watched Wesker's expression transform. A small, predatory smile curled at the corners of his lips, revealing a man thoroughly pleased by what he saw.
"The first of my Horsemen has finally arrived," Albert said, his voice a low, almost deadly whisper. He tossed the tablet back at Korey, who fumbled slightly before securing it against his chest.
"If this individual is truly to become one of my future heralds, they must survive the challenges to come to prove themselves to be worthy," Albert continued, his tone shifting to one of dark contemplation. He leaned closer to his computer, fingers flying across the keyboard at an extraordinary speed.
Behind him, the massive monitors flickered to life, displaying a series of images: maps, data logs, and intricate design schematics of several formidable entities—the Tyrants.
"Now then, show me what you can do," Albert said, an almost palpable excitement igniting in his eyes.