Chapter 2: The end of the world

Sae had just left after a warm visit, and Seijiro's grandmother watched her go with a fond smile. "She's grown into such a beautiful and kind girl," she said softly, her eyes full of pride. Then, turning to Seijiro, she added, "I'm sorry for bothering you with all my chatter. You should be out spending time with your friends."

Seijiro shook his head quickly, cutting her off before she could finish. "You're not bothering me, Grandma. I enjoy spending time with you," he said with a warm smile. That smile triggered something in his grandmother, taking her back to memories of him as a little boy. She chuckled, a hint of nostalgia in her voice, "It seems like you've grown up."

They were in the hospital, a place that smelled of antiseptic but felt oddly comforting to Seijiro after all the time he had spent there. Despite the sterile surroundings, they had filled the room with warmth through shared memories and quiet conversations. His grandmother was in for a routine check-up, but Seijiro knew there was more to it. Her health had been declining, and deep down, he feared what was coming.

After a while, Seijiro decided to turn on the TV to help pass the time. He flicked through the channels and briefly stopped at a news report mentioning a virus outbreak and a possible pandemic. Feeling overwhelmed, he quickly switched it off before hearing any more details.

"Geez," he muttered, sinking into his chair. "I already have more than enough problems. Now I've got to worry about a virus too."

The thought lingered in his mind as night fell, and he found himself struggling to sleep on the small, uncomfortable hospital chair beside his grandmother's bed. The next morning, Seijiro woke up to a dreadful sound—his grandmother's labored breathing filled the quiet room. Rushing to her side, he touched her forehead, panic gripping his heart as he realized she had a fever.

He immediately went out to find a nurse. When he returned, the nurse took over, checking her vitals and administering medication. Seijiro waited anxiously in the hallway, pacing back and forth until the nurse finally came out, looking solemn.

"She wants to see you," the nurse said gently.

Seijiro entered the room, and his heart sank. His grandmother lay there, her breathing shallow, and he knew—he could see it in her frail form—that she wasn't going to make it. Kneeling beside her bed, he took her hand, tears already forming in his eyes.

"Seijiro," she whispered weakly, her voice barely audible, "remember what I told you yesterday?"

"Yes, Grandma," he replied, choking back his sobs as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Good," she said, her smile faint but warm. "You should live your life well. Have fun with your friends... just remember to visit my grave once a year."

Seijiro's heart broke as he gripped her hand tighter. "Please don't go," he pleaded, the tears now flowing freely.

Her senses were fading fast, and her voice grew weaker. "Seijiro... where did you go? Are you still here?"

"I'm still here, Grandma," he whispered, his voice trembling. But she didn't hear him. Her eyes glazed over, and with a final smile, she whispered, "Raising you was the best blessing one could ever ask for..." Then, the monitor beside her bed emitted a long, continuous beep, signaling the end.

The next morning, Seijiro dressed in black for the funeral. His heart felt heavy as he made his way to the burial site. The day was overcast, matching the somber mood of the townspeople who had gathered to pay their respects. Many of them gave speeches, recalling how kind and generous his grandmother had been, one of the few truly good souls left in their small town.

Sae and Takina, two of Seijiro's closest friends, were also there. Sae approached him first, her voice gentle with concern. "Are you okay, Seijiro?"

He closed his eyes briefly, forcing a smile. "I'm alright," he replied softly, though his red-rimmed eyes told another story.

As he walked away, Takina said quietly to Sae, "He must be devastated. She was his last family."

Seijiro took the stage to give a eulogy for his grandmother, his voice trembling as he spoke about how she had been the best part of his life. Several times, he had to pause, the emotions threatening to overwhelm him. But he held back the tears, knowing she wouldn't want him to break down in front of everyone. Still, the audience could feel his pain through every word he spoke.

After the service, Seijiro left the gathering, needing to be alone. He wandered around the funeral hall, trying to process everything. He could still hear the murmurs of the townspeople as they filed out of the funeral hall, their words of sympathy floating in the air.

"It must be hard for him," one person said.

"Poor kid," another added. "That was his only family."

He didn't respond. Instead, he sat on a bench outside, staring at the ground, lost in thought. Sae found him again, sitting down beside him in silence. She didn't try to force any words of comfort, knowing he wasn't ready to talk. After a while, she got up, her voice soft as she said, "I'm sorry this happened to you, Seijiro."

He spent the rest of the day sitting there, watching as people slowly left the funeral hall one by one. As evening fell, Seijiro checked the time on his phone—it was 5:23 PM. With a heavy heart, he stood up, knowing it was time to go.

Seijiro woke up the next day at 8:00 am, following a restless night. After taking his bath and brushing his teeth, he got ready to catch the 10:00 am train to Tokyo. Before heading to the station, he made a stop by the flower shop, intending to visit his grandmother's grave one last time before his departure. Seijiro stopped by a flower shop and bought a bouquet of his grandmother's favorite flowers. He made his way to the cemetery, where he visited her grave, now freshly marked beside another one—the grave of Tokita Shintaro. Seijiro had asked for his grandmother to be buried next to him, a request that had surprised the town's head.

"You don't mean Tokita Shintaro?" the town's head had asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Seijiro had replied, his voice steady. "His the one I'm talking about."

"Are you sure?" the town's head asked again.

Then seijiro replied "Yes"

Now, standing before his grandma's grave, Seijiro gently placed the flowers down on his grandma's grave. "I'll come to visit you once every month," he promised. Then, looking at both graves, he added, "Not everyone knew, but you two were best friends."

With that, he turned and headed to the train station, his heart heavy but determined.

Upon arriving at the station, Seijiro was surprised to find Sae sitting on the bench, waiting for him. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

She looked up and replied, "I was worried about you, so I came to see you off."

"I'm fine," Seijiro said, forcing a smile, though the pain of recent events still lingered.

Sae stood up and, without warning, gave him a hug. "I know you're not fine," she said softly, her voice filled with compassion. "Stop trying to act tough, you crybaby."

Seijiro was taken aback, his mind flashing back to when they were kids—when he was bullied in school at the age of ten, Sae had said the same thing. Back then, her words made him burst into tears, and now, years later, the memory brought a small chuckle from him.

Embarrassed by his reaction, Sae quickly stepped back and changed the topic. "Guess you won't be coming back here again, huh?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Seijiro smiled, this time more genuinely. "I'll be coming here once every month. This place holds too many memories."

"Okay," Sae replied, handing him her phone number. "Call me whenever you're in town. I'll come to visit you."

Seijiro chuckled again, pocketing her number. "Thanks," he said before boarding the train.

As the train began to move, Seijiro looked out the window and saw Sae waving goodbye. He watched as she grew smaller and smaller until she eventually disappeared from view. For a few minutes, he sat quietly, reminiscing about the past few days, the loss, the funeral, and the moments he shared with Sae.

But the weight of everything was too much, and he decided to shake it off. Plugging in his ear pods, Seijiro turned on some music, letting the melody calm his racing thoughts. The music soothed him enough that he eventually drifted into sleep.

Seijiro woke up with a start to the sound of chattering voices and people looking out the windows in alarm. He instinctively glanced outside, and what he saw filled him with dread. The city he was approaching was in complete chaos. Smoke billowed into the sky, buildings were crumbling, and people were running in all directions.

He quickly pulled out his phone to search for any news on what was happening, but there was no signal. "Since when?" he muttered in disbelief. Panic surged through him as he slapped his face, hoping it was all just a bad dream. But it wasn't.

They soon arrived at the subway, it was dark, the lights flickering ominously. Blood smeared the walls, and the entire scene looked like something straight out of a horror movie. As Seijiro tried to process the sight, a man suddenly ran toward his window, pounding on it in terror.

"Please help!" the man screamed, his face twisted in fear. "Don't let them catch me!" But before Seijiro could react, something from the darkness yanked the man back into the shadows, his screams echoing briefly before being cut off.

Seijiro pressed his face against the window, trying to see what had taken the man, but all he heard were growls and screeches from the depths of the subway. He leaned closer to get a better look, only to be startled when a creature suddenly slammed into the window, its decaying face contorted in rage.

At first, Seijiro thought it was a monster, but as he looked closer, he realized it was human—or at least, it had been. The person's mouth foamed, and blood dripped from their teeth. Their skin appeared decayed, and their eyes were lifeless, as though they were already dead.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God," a boy beside him stammered, his face pale with fear. "Is this the virus they were talking about on the news? How are we supposed to avoid this?"

Seijiro's mind flashed back to the news report he had seen in the hospital—about the virus and the potential pandemic. He hadn't watched the full report, dismissing it at the time. But now, it all made sense.

Suddenly, the windows of the train started to crack as more of the infected—these zombies—began to pound on the glass. Chaos erupted inside the train as people screamed and tried to flee. The glass shattered, and the zombies poured in, attacking anyone they could reach.

Seijiro bolted out of the train, sprinting up the stairs that led to the surface. A small horde of zombies followed him closely, their growls and snarls echoing in the tight space. When he reached the surface, the full scope of the disaster hit him.

The city was in ruins—fires raged in the distance, cars were overturned, and bodies littered the streets. The once-bustling metropolis was now a war zone, overrun by these creatures.

Seijiro didn't have time to stand in shock. He quickly darted into a nearby convenience store, locking the door behind him. For a brief moment, he felt a sense of relief. But that relief was short-lived when he heard a low growl coming from the storage room.

Grabbing a mop, he broke the stick in half, fashioning it into a weapon. Cautiously, he approached the storage room, and as soon as he opened the door, a zombie lunged at him. Seijiro fell back, barely managing to shove the stick into its mouth to prevent it from biting him. With a surge of adrenaline, he pushed the zombie off and regained his footing, using the martial arts techniques he had learned to subdue the creature.

Panting from the effort, Seijiro stood over the body of the infected, his heart heavy with the reality of what he had just done. "I had no choice," he whispered to himself. "He wasn't human anymore."

He walked to the back of the store and took a quick shower, trying to wash away the grim feeling that clung to him. Afterward, he found some instant noodles and ate them quietly, staring out at the world that had once been so peaceful. It was now gone, replaced by death and destruction.

Lying down on the makeshift bed in the store, Seijiro's thoughts turned to his friends in Shinjuku and to Sae in Iwate. The idea of something happening to them terrified him.

Determined, he made a decision. "Tomorrow," he whispered to himself, "I'm going to save my friends in Shinjuku first... then head for Iwate to make sure sae is safe." With that resolve he went to sleep, preparing for the dangerous journey ahead.