Last Lifeline

Chapter 1 - Go Out With A Bang

Day 931

The world is fucked. That's all there is to it. Economy is a word of the past, peace is a word of the past, humanity...

Is a word of the past. How it managed to escalate this far, I don't know. The government really let us down on that one.

Anyways, even after 931 days, I managed to learn some new info on them. For anyone finding this book, all info is stored in the back, listed.

They do rest, which is incredible. I've observed that from around 2am to 3am, all of them cease activity and go into this sort of... dormant state. The slightest hint of noise wakes them up, so while it is the safest to travel between two and three, it's still incredibly dangerous. Don't do it when you have a whooping cough. That's all for today. May remnants of god be with me.

-Mikaela Shindou

Mikaela clicked off the pen, shutting the small notebook that was in his hand. After more than 900 daily entries, it was nearly full. After quickly checking his wristwatch for the time, he turned his glance back outside the window.

He had been taking shelter in a small, old, abandoned bookstore. Something about the smell of old books was almost... comforting, to him. It was as if he could reach to a world he's never known. Tis but a shame that his family's flee to Japan ended in more disaster than they could have known.

And now, Mikaela was alone. His parents, long dead. Shot by a confused drunkard.

His sister, Akane, long dead. Most likely roaming around with the horde of undead outside.

With a final glance at his wristwatch, the clock struck 2, and the activity outside of the old bookstore seemed to settle. Grabbing the mallet he tended to wield, Mikaela pushed the door open and walked out to the open, empty street. It was time to scavenge. His food supply was running short, and he needed fresh water asap.

Gurgling noises, reminiscent of snoring, filled the streets of what was once known as Shibuya. Clutching the weapon in his hand, Mikaela caught himself trembling. The sight was a terrifying one. Hordes of undead, standing there, not moving a muscle. If he were to accidentally kick a pebble, though, they'd awaken and he'd be a lot more than dead meat. He halted for a moment, closing his eyes. Even if just to recollect himself.

A faint noise of movement behind him made his heart jump, as he quickly turned on his heels, weapon readied.

Nothing.

"Was that just my imagination?", Mika thought. He concluded that was most likely the case. After all, if he had heard it, the monsters decorating the streets would have too. He checked his wristwatch.

2:13AM.

He had to hurry if he wanted to find food, and make it back to the bookshop in time. Picking up the pace of his silent shuffle, he continued his scavenging spree.

~~

After what felt like forever, Mikaela's eyes fell upon an abandoned grocery store. The chance was slim, but the slightest shard of hope for food or water brought a smile to the boy's face. Clenching the hammer in his hands, he made his way to the entrance.

Once inside, he immediately started wandering around the aisles, checking to see if there was any immediate threat to him in form of an undead. Finding no such thing, Mikaela moved on to the second task at hand. Scanning the racks for anything salvageable, he was seemingly out of luck.

"Fuck. No more time to look for something else, either..."

Could this moment get any worse?

Click.

Mika flinched at the sound behind him. It seems his question had been answered for him.

"If you're human, drop the weapon, raise your hands, and turn around. I have a gun." He gulped, gently resting his weapon on the floor, and raising his hands. He slowly turned around, coming face to face with the one that held him at gunpoint.

The person in front of him let out a loud sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank god! I was scared I'd have to shoot you there for a moment!", he laughed. The boy locked the safety on his pistol, and seemed to shove it in his backpocket. He held out his hand, as Mika stared at him in a mix of confusion and awe.

Hesitating, Mikaela's arms slowly dropped to his sides. He grabbed hold of the boy's hand, shaking it slowly.

"Name's Yuichiro! What's yours?"

"... Mikaela."

"Well, nice to meet you Mikaela! What'cha doing in an abandoned grocery store?"

... Yuichiro was still shaking Mikaela's hand.

"I'm... scavenging."

"Ah, fair, fair. I honestly don't think you'll find anything interesting here, place was pretty empty when I got here."

He was still shaking his hand.

Only when Mika cleared his throat, his hand was released. Yuichiro let out an awkward chuckle, scratching the back of his neck.

"S-Sorry. I haven't talked to someone in so long, I was almost scared I forgot how to!"

"Well, you certainly haven't forgotten."

"Ahaha, yeah..."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to head back. Gotta be back to safety before three."

"O-Oh! Well, yeah, that sounds... logical... Will I be seeing you around?"

"If neither of us end up bitten, maybe.", Mika said as he picked his hammer back up. "Sorry. I'm not one for company in situations like these. More people, more chance to get killed."

Mikaela turned on his heels, heading towards the exit. What a strange individual Yuichiro was. Or perhaps, the poor boy just really missed any form of human contact. As Mika was lost in his thoughts, he gasped as he felt a gross, slimy arm grab his. The sudden shock swerved through his nerves, shutting them down and causing him to drop the hammer. Before Mika could even try and kick at the monster grabbing hold of him, a deafening bang filled the store. The cold sensation left his arm, as the undead in front of him dropped to the floor. The blonde boy shot his gaze to the origins of the noise, finding Yuichiro, his pistol smoking from the recent release. Nervous, green eyes locked with scared blue ones.

"More chances to get killed, huh?", Yuichiro let out a sigh. It seemed a nervous, yet relieved one. "Stay, Mikaela. That bang probably woke them up."

Perhaps Mikaela should stay.