“Sure thing,” said Ramirez as he stood up and walked towards the rest of the group, looking for Carter in the darkness. The echoes of conversations from the group carried far, and it concerned Knight, but he knew if they were in immediate danger the infected would have been on top of them already. Normally, Knight would have scolded them all for not having noise discretion, but it was clear they were safe where they were; after all, no one wanted to go into the sewers.
However, right now Knight wasn’t feeling like doing much. It wasn’t too often he had that feeling, but right now he had it; his mind was telling him to leave them be. Knight sat silently, waiting for Carter to make his way to him. He tried to keep his leg straight, and mind focused on other things, like how much time they had wasted on his account. He wondered how far they had made it into the city if they would find a subway entrance soon or not.
Carter approached the group wearing a face of unhappiness; it was clear he did not enjoy helping Knight around. Ignoring that thought, they both worked together to bring Knight into a standing position, his bad leg in the middle. They started off down the damp, dark tunnels once again, continuing their trek to find a way out of the city.
Chapter 41
The way out
After a long time, slowly making their way through the city’s sewers; they came to what they had been hoping to find, a direct access door to the surface so they wouldn’t have to carry Knight up through a manhole. This was the first good news they had for quite some time, and it brought the groups moral up. The door was locked, but they quickly kicked the door handle, snapping the rusty bolts that held it in place. They slowly opened the door which creaked open, echoing loudly into the street.
They waited to make sure that no moans came from any infected, and once they didn’t see anything move, they went through the door, moving out into the street. Kenji led them, and they all moved out into the street. They looked both ways down the street and spotted another station a few blocks south of them. Luckily for the group, there was no infected in sight, so they cautiously moved closer to the stairs leading up to the subway line. The government had placed fencing around each entrance to the station, making sure no one could enter it.
Muller pulled out a pair of bolt cutters, snapping the chain holding the fencing in place. He pulled it out of the way and ushered the group up the stairs. Quickly the group moved up to the platform, looking both directions to make sure the tracks were clear. The tracks were empty, completely devoid of trains even. The group hopped down onto the tracks; the gravel crunched as they landed on it. Carter jumped down so Ramirez could help guide Knight down. The gravel was genuinely unsettling, but they all knew that they would be able to hear the infected if they headed towards them.
The group didn’t take any time before setting off to the south following the tracks. After about thirty minutes of not seeing any infected, they started to feel better about their plan and tread with a less light foot on the gravel. It felt weird to them all, knowing that if the world around them hadn’t gone to the shits, then they would be on a fast track to getting run over by a train moving faster than most the cars in the city.
The track was raised above the street level, which meant that no infected could climb to them without finding an opening to gain access to a station. The group could see the buildings as they passed, many had broken windows. They could see a few infected roaming the insides of the buildings and were glad they were safe.
Several minutes later they came upon their first subway train, which had stopped in the middle of the tracks. The tracks widened out before splitting in two. They had plenty of room to move around it; nothing moved inside of it, so they assumed it had been abandoned there. Sticking to the tracks that continued south, and it wasn’t long before they could see another station.
They stopped, deciding they wanted to check the map to make sure the track they were following was the correct way. Ramirez and Kenji volunteered themselves to scout the station and find a map. The rest of the group stayed on the tracks just beyond the station platform, nervously looking around. Together they climbed up the ledge onto the platform.
The station was dark in most places, but some sunlight shined through the windows. It was devoid of sound or movement, which was a good sign. It was a very unusual thing, Kenji had become so used to seeing the streets, littered with trash, carnage, and bodies that it was weird to see something from his old life as average looking as it was then. Kenji carefully moved up to one of the columns supporting the upper floor above them. Human instinct told him to hide behind it and peek around the corner to see if anything was lurking in the darkness, despite the station's pure look. Ramirez silently moved up next to him; they both stood in complete silence, just observing the abandoned platform around them.
Kenji preferred the bus, mainly just because they tended to be less packed since they were slower than the subway. He had only ridden the subway a few times before; he just preferred not to be crammed into a tight space with lots of other people he didn’t know. Now that the station platform was utterly devoid of its routine, of people lining themselves up together only to be shoved in and wait to get off at their stop and continue about their lives, it made him feel odd and out of place. He was now an oddity, a fading memory of all things that were once normal.
Kenji spoke softly to Ramirez, “In all the chaos…The government, at least, had the foresight to shut down public transportation when the outbreak started. The subways, buses, and most road travel shut down when the Yokai finally showed up in the city; it didn’t matter in the end.”
Ramirez nodded, “If we get out of here, then it will have mattered a little bit. All that matters now is we get back home…Well as close as a home for us. I’m sorry; I didn’t mean anything by that.”
Kenji turned on his flashlight, using the beam of light to inspect every inch of the area, but replied, “Don’t be sorry, you have nothing to be sorry. Even if this was my home, it isn’t anymore. I have nothing left here, and neither does anyone else,” Kenji paused, his flashlight illuminating what they had been looking for, a map of the subway, “Look! There is the map, but let’s be quick, I don’t want to be here too long.”
Together they slowly crept up to the map, studying it, finding they weren’t as far as they originally thought from the base. They had to keep heading the way they were already going, south out of the city. Providing there were not any infected on the tracks or at the stations, because of the government shutdown, it would be easy, but a long walk. Both Kenji and Ramirez looked at each other, knowing and enjoying a small moment of luck.
A loud, resounding metallic noise interrupted their moment, causing them both to jerk into action, turning towards the source of the sound. It came from within the offices towards the back end of the station. They both had their weapons at the ready, and stealthily approached the door leading into the offices. Kenji looked through the small window on the door, peering into the hallway beyond.
He flashed his light through the glass, shining it deep into the dark hallway. About two-thirds of the way down the hall they spotted what had caused the noise. A small metal trashcan had been knocked over; trash was strewn across the otherwise clean area. The taint that was the infected had apparently somehow found its way even into the closed down station. They both looked at each other, and Kenji reached for the door handle.
Kenji turned the door handle, finding it locked, unwilling to turn. A loud bang shook the door ever so slightly; Kenji and Ramirez jumped back in surprise. Ramirez flashed his light at the window again, only to be greeted by a pale dead face with black eyes. Again, the infected on the other side thrust his hand awkwardly at the door, creating a sickening smack that echoed through the door.
“I wonder how he got down here,” stated Ramirez.
“He was probably closing the station down, got bit before retreating down here, only to be either trapped or too sick to leave,” Replied Kenji.
“Do you think it’s safe to
leave him in there?” asked Ramirez.
“I don’t think he’s going to be getting through that door anytime soon. We should just leave and keep going. I don’t want to waste time getting in there,” replied Kenji sorrowfully.
“Fine with me,” said Ramirez, lifting his shoulders in agreement, “Let’s go back, staring at him is creeping me out.”
They started to walk back; Kenji asked, “What about them creeps you out the most?”
Ramirez took no waste of time to give his reply, “The eyes. The eyes freak me the hell out. I’ve seen battle wounds, and I mean shit that would make anyone lose their meal, and still, it doesn’t even come close to that. What about you?”
Kenji was silent for a moment, and they reached the edge of the platform, “The only thing that haunts me at night…The only thing that goes through my mind when I kill one of the Yokai...What if somewhere inside their mind the person we once knew is still there, watching their body attack and devour people. Friends, family, and they are helpless to do anything about it until one of us comes along and puts an end to it. Part of me wants to say that is the justified thing to do, wanting not to become a monster. Then the other part of me tells me that even though they are freed afterward, they would still be afraid to die, again.”
Ramirez turned towards Kenji, “Jesus man, that’s fucking dark. I mean I know the world isn’t all rainbows and kittens…But, wow. Just wow. I think you just get numb to that feeling, or, at least, numb to wondering about it. I have shot and killed many people before, and it admittedly gets easier, and eventually, you just don’t question things, it just becomes instinct.”
After pausing for a moment, Ramirez continued, “Look, after a while, you just become grateful that you are still alive no matter what. The trivial things in life start to seem more important. The hardest part is reminding you that you are still human after crazy stuff like this happens. Sorry to bring this conversation to an end, but let’s go before the others start to get worried.”
Kenji looked away towards tracks, “Yeah, okay, let’s go.”
They climbed down the ledge, landing each with a crunch in the gravel below. Together Kenji and Ramirez walked out from the cover of the station, finding the group still standing there, looking around. Many of them froze and turned quickly at hearing the crunch of the gravel as Kenji and Ramirez approached.
Ramirez spoke before Kenji could, “Looks like we are heading the right way, everyone!”
The group smiled, and a few shared that same feeling Kenji and Ramirez had shared minutes before, looking at the map. The joy of everything going right was boosting the group’s moral. Carter helped Knight up again, and they started off down the tracks once more.
✽ ✽ ✽
They passed a third station, named Ōimachi Station, which started to look just like the other two. The group didn’t stop at this one, deciding to keep going. By the time they got the next station along the line, it was now late in the evening. The sun had Risen and started to set since they had made their trek through the sewers and subway tracks. Ramirez came back to Knight, “I think we need to rest for the night. I need to tend to those wounds as well.”
Knight spoke in-between steps, “I hate to…admit it, but…I could do with…some rest.”
“I’ll tell the group we are going to rest at this station then. Kenji and I will clear the station, make sure it’s locked down before we fully decided to get settled in,” said Ramirez with a hint of relief.
Ramirez ran back up to the majority of the group, grabbing Kenji and Cooper, “Hey, we are stopping here for the night. We need to make sure it’s clear and secure. You two are coming with me to check it out.”
The three men moved ahead of the group, jogging along the track to the station, the rest of the group stopped and waited for them to give the signal that it was clear to keep moving. A sign along the tracks read; Ōmori Station. Kenji, with the help of Ramirez, climbed up the ledge, quickly flashing his light around the platform. This one was slightly smaller than the one they had checked the map at earlier. It was newer, though; nicer benches, a few small shops, but still, that did not mean anything to Kenji.
Sensing no danger nearby, Kenji reached down and helped the other two men up. All three of them quickly fanned out scanning the entire platform, circling to where the shops were on the right end of the platform. The metal pull-down grates that covered the shops were pulled down, but not locked in place. Kenji and Cooper pulled the grate up together, opening it slowly to minimize the sound; despite their effort, it was still quite loud.
Nothing from within the small shop, which was only big enough to allow about ten people inside at a time, had moved. They went in the shop which contained with snack food, magazines, and over the counter medicine; each one of them wanted to grab what they could, but knew they needed to check the other store, and then move on. They left and walked to the next store, finding the grate not locked as well, and opened it.
This store was a small coffee shop, which also sold other kinds of drinks, but there wasn’t anyone making drinks today. Again, there was nothing important to note, so they moved on.
“Do you think we should check out the offices next or the main entrances?” asked Kenji.
Cooper looked at Ramirez, who spoke, “Let’s check the main entrances first, make sure there is no way the infected can get in here first. No point in making sure everywhere is safe if the entrances aren’t.”
“I agree, let’s go, and be extremely careful if they are open. Infected could be inside those rooms,” replied Kenji nervously.
Fanning out again, they moved on back to the other side of the platform and moved towards stairs leading down the ground floor. As they ascended the stairs, they found no sign that anyone had traveled on the stairs in quite some time. Halfway down the stairs a metal gate, it was luckily closed, completely shutting out the world from the station above. Kenji checked to make sure that it couldn’t be pushed open by accident, leaning into, and shoving it.
It didn’t budge, and they were all satisfied, so they went back up the stairs heading to the left, towards the offices. Approaching the door, they looked through the glass window, Kenji stopped at the door.
“Here’s a little trick I learned to clear out buildings. It’s easier to draw the infected to you than let them surprise you later,” said Kenji, who knocked on the door.
They waited before he knocked again, but louder this time. Nothing moved, so they opened the door and pushed it inwards, where it hit the wall with a soft thud. Work posters detailing worker’s shifts, rules, and regulations, and signs pointing to different offices placed on the walls. The interior of the offices was much drabber than that of the station outside, apparently a more work driven environment. All the doors to each office were closed, which was possibly a good sign.
They each moved to the first door on the right, which was indicated as a worker’s locker room and was just a plain door with no window. They knocked on that door, again just to be safe, and heard no movement, so they opened the door. A small room with lockers adorned the entire room except for a door, which led to the restroom for the locker room. The entrance to the restroom was already open, so they didn’t need to make sure that was clear of infected.
The door across the hall was mostly a glass pane, which they could see most of the room through. It was a simple break room, a small kitchen, and sink, a couple of small tables. They didn’t open the door, because they could see the entire room, and saw nothing to worry about. Leading them down the hall, Kenji stopped at the next door on the right side of the hallway, labeled as maintenance; doubting they would find anyone there they still knocked on the door.
Feeling safe to open the door they did just that, to a spacious room. Half the room was shelving units filled with various supplies: cleaning supplies, replacement parts, and extra stock for the two stores were kept here, all perfectly ordered. The other half of the room was a small office for the maintenance workers, both desks tha
t lined the wall were filled with paperwork, all organized.
Satisfied, they left the room and moved across the hall, which labeled as general administration. After the knock produced nothing, they opened the door which led into a room with eight cubicles each flawlessly sized into the room to fit that exact number. They moved slowly into the office area, checking underneath each desk, catching themselves looking at the personal effects on each desk, pictures of loved ones, personal items that seemed important to their occupants at one point. At the end of the cubicles, they again found nothing and left.
There was only one last door in the office area they had to check, but they were feeling good since they had not found any hint of anyone being present after the lockdown of the station. The last door, which the plaque next to the door said manager’s office looked sturdier than the others, but again availed no response from knocking. They opened the door, which immediately the putrid smell of a decaying body trapped in an enclosed space, attacked their senses.
The smell was so strong they all were forced to take a step back, their brains trying to force their bodies into getting as much fresh air as possible. They each knew what they would find beyond the door, but their curiosity got the best of them. Ramirez pushed open the door, allowing more of the horrific smell out of the room. Covering his mouth and nose, he entered, shining the light into the room.
A desk, with a computer, was in the middle of the room. Two chairs faced the desk, as well as a small table in between them. On the other side of a desk, they found the source of the smell; a decaying body was sitting in the chair, blackened blood and brain matter splattered on the wall behind the man. In one hand, the dead man held a picture, of a family, in the other a small handgun.
“Jesus,” stated Ramirez bluntly.
What Remains: The Outbreak Page 27