What Remains (Book 3): Epidemic

by Barrett, Tyler

  Continuing toward the main roadway, the two trucks left the airport and the ever-growing mob behind. Their path was surprisingly clear as they drove away from the airport, turning on the main road they headed south following the river. Through the small window, Kenji could see people swimming across the river, fleeing any way they could.

  I hope someone screens them… Just one of them, that’s all it would take for the virus to escape.

  Everyone was trying to leave the city, and people were even driving on the wrong side of the road, but carefully avoided the military trucks, knowing they were the only thing standing between them and hordes of those infected with the Demon Virus.

  The tires hummed as they picked up speed; it wasn’t long before they turned once more, merging onto an overpass that quickly looped around heading east. Vehicles of all kinds were jam-packed on the other side of the freeway, as countless tried to flee the Demon Virus and its destruction. Kenji was in awe at the sheer number of people attempting to flee the city.

  I really hope there are checkpoints further out. If they aren’t vigilant, it won’t just be Busan that’s lost.

  Muller, as if reading Kenji’s mind, turned around from the front passenger seat, “I doubt all these people will make it through the checkpoints before they lose the city.”

  No one replied as they crossed over the river they had just been following, weaving around oncoming cars and trucks trying to flee the city. Jung-ho’s truck began honking at the vehicles who dared get in their way, nearly causing several accidents. After crossing the bridge, they continued along the overpass, heading deeper into the city. In the distance, even at night, they could see the mountains just beyond the many buildings that dotted the skyline. Kenji watched as they passed many other buildings, mostly shops, gas stations, and what he assumed were apartments.

  Lights from the city still gleamed in the night, but Kenji could see the virus tearing at its core from where he sat. Even as they followed the overpass, fewer and fewer vehicles were seen on the road. Only a few vehicles trickled toward the growing mass blocking the roadways. Soon, they approached the valley in between the mountains, and the buildings got taller. The smell of smoke began to make its way through any hole or crack it could into the cabin of the Humvee. Fires in the distance, caused in an attempt to cleanse the virus or by accident, dotted the city.

  Shortly after, they left the overpass, following the off-ramp down to the ground, continuing straight, passing more tall buildings and a mall. Several people ran by them in a fear-fueled panic, but they had a mission and didn’t stop. Soon, they followed the road north, passing many small shops and homes. It wasn’t long before they turned right, and Kenji found the road followed alongside a park.

  This was the first evidence they saw of the Demon Virus; within the park, a squad of soldiers fired their rifles at a small horde of infected. Many bodies already littered the ground as the soldiers held their own against the infected horde. They passed by without any thought to stop and help, their mission was much more important.

  I hope those soldiers aren’t overwhelmed; they are probably some of the last defense in the city.

  Kenji wondered what Jung-ho and his men felt as they drove by the fellow soldiers fighting the Yokai. He shifted in his seat, knowing that it didn’t sit well with him. He remembered those he had found and rescued during his time surviving in Tokyo. Every single person’s face etched in his mind forever, many of whom didn’t make it out of the nation alive.

  As Jung-ho’s truck ahead of them turned left, the virus showed its true hold, a small horde of infected blocked the road, moving in their direction. The truck before them stopped, and Shields slammed on the breaks, send them all forward in their seats.

  “Shit, that was close,” exclaimed Shields.

  Muller moved to open his door. Kenji leaned to see around the seat in front of him, noting that Jung-ho had leaped out of the parked truck before them. The soldier sprinted over to Muller, who was standing next to his door, which he had left open.

  “Is there another route?” shouted Muller at Jung-ho as he approached.

  “Yes, but my men want to stop this horde. They fear it will be too much for those men back at the park to handle,” said Jung-ho hopefully.

  Muller shifted with discomfort, “We can’t stop… I’m sorry.”

  Kenji saw the hope leave Jung-ho, who nodded and turn back, walking toward his truck.

  Two soldiers poked their heads from the back of the truck, speaking to Jung-ho. Kenji couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he knew it was something along the lines of telling them they weren’t stopping. Jung-ho climbed back into the cab of the truck and began backing up. Shields had already backed up and moved out of the way, waiting for other truck to lead them again.

  It wasn’t long before they set off, leaving the horde behind them, marching toward the soldiers they had driven passed shortly before.

  I’m sorry, Jung-ho. We can’t save everyone if we could, I would. But that isn’t possible.

  Jung-ho led them down a different street; this one held no horde blocking their path. They were now heading into the heart of the city, where the number of infected greatly outnumbered those who weren’t infected.

  Chapter 15

  An hour later, they arrived at the building that was the last known location of the woman. Several infected roamed the street, moving toward the convoy, drawn by the noise of the trucks. In the middle of the street, three Humvees sat, doors open, abandoned. This was where the team escorting the woman was last seen. Dried pools of blood dotted the ground nearby the vehicles, indicating the fate that befell the men that had been escorting the woman to a nearby facility. There was no doubt in Kenji’s mind that this was indeed the origin point of the Yokai making their appearance in Busan.

  Jung-ho’s men had stopped near the abandoned Humvees, carefully moving to secure the area, alert of their surroundings. The infected started to move toward the soldiers, who had already brandished their weapons. Each man carried a two-foot-long blade, used to kill the infected to avoid creating too much noise. Their rifles were reserved for moments when there were too many infected that couldn’t be handled with just blades.

  The soldiers worked in pairs of two, one man drawing the infected person’s attention, while the second moved in to get an angle to use the blade. They made quick work of the infected that had moved toward the group, clearing the immediate area around the entrance to the apartment building. Muller and the rest of the team had climbed out of the Humvee, readying themselves to go into the building.

  “Shields check the convoy’s vehicles. See if there is anything that can help us,” Ordered Muller, “The rest of us will clear the building.”

  Kenji followed Muller to the building, who stopped at the door, looking at the team, “We move as teams of two, clear apartment to apartment. Make sure to check everywhere, we don’t know where this woman could be hiding. You all know what to do, so let’s get this done and be on our way out of here. Kenji, you’re with me.”

  Muller moved to open the door, while Kenji drew his blade from his back. He tightly held the grip, ready to use it against any nearby Yokai. The lobby, with a small potted plant and a wall lined with mailboxes, was empty. Slowly, they entered, listening carefully for any noise or indication that there would be Yokai nearby. The inside of the building was quiet compared to the chaotic noises from the city outside, and Kenji could hear his heightened heartbeat.

  As they moved deeper into the first floor of the building, Muller signaled for the squad to stop, finding a dead soldier lying face down in a pool of blood. Someone had opened fire inside the hallway, bullet holes riddled the walls and several of the doors. Muller moved toward the body, inspecting it before giving it a kick to make sure the soldier wasn’t infected. The body didn’t move, and Muller turned the soldier over, finding that the man had been infected. A bullet had entered through the man’s face, just under his right eye, shattering his skull. There was n
o sign of where whoever shot the soldier had gone; Muller stood back up, signaling to resume their check of the building.

  “It looks like some of the soldiers from the convoy made their way in here,” Muller whispered to Kenji, “Maybe we can get lucky and find someone alive.”

  Kenji and Muller moved to the first door on the left side of the hallway, as King and Jackson moved to the door on the right side. Muller tried the door, finding it locked, but moved back to kick the door open. With one mighty kick, he sent the door flying open, creating an enormous echoing thud as the door slammed into the wall. Muller quickly entered with his knife and sidearm at the ready. Kenji followed him deeper into the apartment.

  They quickly scanned each room, checking every spot someone could be hiding. Everything was in order and looked as though no one was present when the infected appeared in the neighborhood. Together they left the apartment and continued to the next one, finding it unlocked and equally undisturbed. The third door was open, and a trail of blood began just past the door frame into the apartment, in a pool, then trailed deeper into the apartment.

  Kenji took the lead into the apartment, ready and expecting to find a Yokai inside. He crept into the main room of the apartment, blade raised, pointing in front of him, finding more blood pooled on the furniture. From the bedrooms inside the apartment came a guttural moan, one that Kenji knew well. His heart began to beat faster and faster, knowing what was about to emerge from the bedroom.

  A Yokai showed itself from within the room, hands raised toward Kenji. As it came into full view, Kenji took a step forward to give himself a better stance to swing his katana. He readied himself, raising it to swing it directly at the infected man's head, but he stopped. As the man came closer, he couldn’t move, frozen in place. It was real, it was happening again.

  Everything around him melted away until it was just Kenji and the infected man. Time paused for a moment, and they were both teleported to that same apartment back in Tokyo. The one where he first found the weapon, he used to save himself from that never-ending hell. The Yokai began to move once more, slowly shambling toward him. His katana was no longer in his hand, dread filled his every fiber. He scanned the room for any weapon, wondering what had happened to his trusty sword.

  After scanning his nearby surroundings, Kenji found it on the wall adorned by pictures of a man who wielded the sword sometime in the past. Knowing he had to grab the sword but found he was still frozen in place. Death before him, or salvation through killing. Kenji had to decide, and only himself, alone, could make the choice. This was the same pivotal moment that led to everything that had befallen him since he had left his apartment that fateful day.

  If he didn’t grab the weapon, surely, he would die. However, the thought remained, scratching at the back of his mind.

  What if I never grabbed that sword? What would become of those I’ve met, those I’d sworn to protect? Would they have still met their end through other means, or would they be alive and well?

  Kenji took a deep breath. No. The questions left unanswered were unobtainable. There was no way he could know the answer, no way to go back. He lunged forward, grabbing the sword from its shelf, and released it from its sheath. A warm sensation spread throughout his body, starting at his fingertips, and moved up his arms.

  Kenji had made the right choice, no matter how much doubt he had, he knew that doing nothing would have led not only himself but countless others, to their deaths. Kenji raised the sword up, readying his swing. He was absolute, and time moved at full speed once more. The full force of the blade passed through the man’s head as if it were paper, and the body dropped along with its severed head. Kenji felt his breath finally release, and his muscles relax. He felt a hand on his shoulder and tensed once more, but a voice broke it.

  “Are you okay, Kenji?” Muller asked.

  “Yes. I am now,” Kenji stated half-dazed.

  “First one since... I know it can be a shock,” replied Muller.

  “I'm Fine, Muller. I feel great! I didn’t know if I could do it, but I decided I had to,” Kenji said, staring at the Yokai on the floor, lip curled in disgust.

  “Good, let’s finish up in here and move on to the next apartment,” said Muller.

  Chapter 16

  Leaving the apartment, Kenji moved to the next one with Muller, chills running down his spine. Right before Muller was about to kick open the door, Kenji heard a noise coming from the back of the building. One that was unmistakable, and Kenji knew what was heading their way. He stopped in the hall while Muller went deeper into the apartment. Kenji planted his feet again, ready to fight once more.

  “Sounds like a herd of elephants stomping around,” said King as he appeared from the apartment on the other side of the hall, “’Ow many do you reckon?”

  “I would say at least ten, maybe more,” replied Kenji, looking down the hall, toward the end.

  “Aye, nothing we can’t ‘andle,” King stated with a nod.

  The first of the infected appeared from around the corner at the end of the hall, moaning as it came into view. Kenji blinked, and in the fraction of time it took him to open his eyes, eight more infected had already joined the first Yokai. Kenji didn’t wait, charging toward the lead Yokai. He swung his katana at the man’s head, cleanly lobbing it off. King had moved to catch up to Kenji but stayed back just far enough to stay out of Kenji’s swing.

  Kenji felt a power surge through his body, reassuring him that he could easily handle the Yokai. It was as if something guided him, the blade doing the brunt of the work. Effortlessly, he wielded the katana as if the blade itself decided where to strike next. Kenji used that power, letting the force drive him, and it had yet to forsake him. Kenji was a force to be reckoned with.

  “I got your back,” said King, egging on Kenji.

  The infected flooded the hall from deeper within the building, now numbering a total of fifteen. This didn’t stop Kenji as he readied himself once more, targeting the closest Yokai to him. He quickly sliced the Yokai’s hands off, before sending a kick at its chest, knocking it into three Yokai. The four of them fell to the ground, giving Kenji enough time to slice the next Yokai’s head diagonally, leaving a third of its head behind. Keeping with his momentum, he quickly brought his sword up, cutting the Yokai behind the one he had just killed at the legs, incapacitating it.

  Kenji grabbed his smaller knife on his hip, and jammed it into the incapacitated Yokai’s eye socket, leaving the knife in place. He swung around, catching the handless Yokai as it attempted to pick itself back up. The tip of his Katana easily slid into the man’s head, making a slight sucking noise as he pulled it back out. As he pulled the blade out, he used the force to swing it up and back at one of the Yokai that had been knocked down, sending its head into the air.

  Spinning again, he quickly took a stance, widening his legs for a powerful swing. With one move, he cut down two more of the Yokai still standing, sending their heads flying as well. Staying in the same stance, he swung down at one of the two remaining Yokai that had fallen over, ending it as well. His speed and strength were no match for the Yokai that remained. He sent a kick at the remaining Yokai that had fallen over, sending it back to the ground.

  King quickly moved to help Kenji out as one of the infected had moved in closer than Kenji had realized on his right side. While King dealt with that Yokai, Kenji grabbed the Knife from the dead Yokai, moving to jab it into the downed Yokai. Once again Kenji left the knife where it was, and readied his next swing, making sure King was out of the way. After the blade passed with ease yet again, only five Yokai remained before them. Kenji noticed Muller and Jackson had entered the hallway, watching him, studying the scene, ready to help if needed.

  Kenji was beginning to feel winded and used the small reprieve to catch his breath, before moving toward the last of them. He felt as though catching his breath had given him new life, and he was ready for the last few Yokai. Rushing forward once more, swinging wildly at the Yokai, and
before he knew it, he had already cut down the first Yokai. Having little time to react, another Yokai was already on top of him. He struggled with the infected man but ultimately was able to break free of the Yokai.

  King appeared next to him, quickly dropping another infected man, before turning to the other two. Kenji quickly ended the Yokai that had grabbed him. King had the attention of both infected remaining, so Kenji took advantage of the situation. Kenji shoved the closest Yokai near him to the ground, knocking it face first to the ground. Quickly planting his foot on the Yokai's back, he thrust his blade’s tip through the spinal cord. King grappled with the last one before bringing his blade up through its chin, piercing the soft palette into its brain.

  Both men collapsed against the wall, breathing heavily. Blood and gore splattered the hallway, but the battle was over. Muller and Jackson slowly crept through the carnage toward them, checking each infected person carefully. Kenji felt as the sense of empowerment leave him, slowly ebbing away. He felt the same sense of safety wash over him as before, during his time in Japan. He couldn’t explain the feeling he got after each time he went head to head against the Yokai, but a calming bliss took him afterword.

  “Are you both good?” Asked Muller as he neared them.

  “Yes,” Kenji said, pushing himself off the wall.

  King grabbed Kenji by the shoulder, “’E was a right beast. Took out twelve of them on ‘is own. I know you said ‘e was good, Muller, but damn.”

  Muller nodded as he passed them both with a smirk, “I wasn’t kidding when I said he was one of the best. Now ready yourself. We still have several floors to check.”

  Following Muller up the stairs to the next floor, they repeated their search process once more, finding four more infected throughout the apartments. Kenji allowed the others to take care of the Yokai, already tired from his fight earlier. They were deep into the building as they began their search on the third floor. It looked undisturbed, no doors left open, no blood trails. Muller and Kenji quickly lined themselves with the first doors along the hall. Both apartments were empty.