Infection ~~ Chinchikurin (CONTENT WARNINGS IN DESCRIPTION)

New Beginnings ~~ 20 (final)

  The group drudged their way up the mountain, only four of them remaining now. They walked in silence, keeping their eyes out for a clearing. Out of the silence, Haruma perked up and pointed through the brush and trees.

  "I think that's it! I can see a field through the trees!"

The rest of the group looked over. A small clearing in the trees revealed a large cornfield a little ways off in the distance. Without hesitation, everyone began to push through the trees and run towards the field.

  "We're gonna make it! We're really gonna make it out guys!" Toru smiled.

But their enthusiasm didn't last long. The group was stopped in their tracks as an arrow flew by them, landing in the ground right in front of Toru's feet. They quickly looked to their right. There stood a group of infected villagers, staring blankly at the group about to escape.

  "Oh god, no no no no.... We're outnumbered by a lot. There's gotta be at least twenty of them... and only four of us...."

The mob quickly began approaching the group, some equipped with various weapons. The group didn't try to run, they just watched as the mob quickly got closer and closer.

  "I'm... I'm sorry guys... I don't think we can do this..." Toru began to sob.

"We've made it this far... we just can't take them on again." Haruma looked down at his feet. 

   "We got away from them before, why can't we do it again?" Seito asked.

"That was before, Seito. Back when we still had Boron, Han, and Keita with us. They're gone now, we don't have a chance. All we'd be doing is slightly putting off our inevitable doom. It's pointless." Toru sighed, taking one last look at his friends before watching as the mob ran at them. He closed his eyes, waiting... but nothing happed. Instead, he was met with a loud sound.

*BANG*

   The sound of a pistol rang out in the air. Toru opened his eyes to see a villager right in front of him, blood spurting out of his neck before going limp and falling over. Just beside the trees stood Rika, pistol in hand.

  "Rika..." Toru muttered, then smiled after a moment. Rika smiled too before running towards him, arms wide open. She ignored the group of villagers standing in shock after one of them had just been shot. Toru closed his eyes leaped forward to give Rika a hug, but he was met with nothing.

  "TORU!" A distressed scream called out. Rika stood just out of Toru's reach as a few villagers held her back by her arms.

  "Let go of her... I SAID LET GO OF HER!" Toru cried. He watched as tears streamed down Rika's face. He got ready to fight for her... until the sound rang out again...

*BANG*

   Rika's expression went shocked for a moment, before her head slumped over. The villager holding her arms let go of her, allowing her body to fall onto onto the ground. Another villager was holding the pistol now, but Toru's focus was on the large bullet wound on the back of Rika's head. 

  "Y-y-y-you...." Toru stuttered. He couldn't find the words to say. He slowly leaned down while still stuttering over his words, picking something out of the ground. Now holding the arrow shot at him earlier in his hand, he finally found the words he was trying to say.

  "You won't get away with this."

Toru quickly lunged forward and grabbed the villager with the gun by the hair, stabbing him in the eye with the arrow before pulling it out and taking the gun. He quickly threw the gun over to the group while the villager screamed in agony. Mariha picked up the gun and aimed it towards the villager that had grabbed Rika's arm, shooting him in the stomach and watching as he keeled over and began coughing up blood. Haruma ran into the fight with his shotgun. Seito picked a large stone off the ground and followed. They fought as the villager's desperately tried to kill them, failing every time. The mob got smaller and smaller, until there was only one left. The final one standing ran towards Toru, only to be shot down by Mariha.

  "All the villagers of Masuda... they're gone..." Seito muttered.

"We can't just stand around like this... you guys ready?" Haruma asked. The group nodded before running out into the field, leaving the village behind.

  No one knew how long they had been running until they reached Fukuoka. The sun was starting to set as they stumbled into the nearby town, covered in blood and dirt. 

  "Everything seems... normal here." Toru said. The group watched as everyone lived out their normal lives, not some crazy infection in sight. They could see Funny's Galette shop from here, closed off and no one inside. 

  "What do we do now?" Seito asked.

"I say we alert the local authorities or someone of the sort about this... although it seems like they've already solved the galette shop problem." Haruma said. Everyone agreed with him before they set off to find someone to talk to.

It had been a few months now. Toru, Haruma, Seito, and Mariha had been staying in a place in Fukuoka. The bodies that scattered the village had been cleaned up and the place was left empty, not a single resident remaining. The group travelled back to the village carrying flowers with them. They made their way to the center of the village to leave the flowers as a memorial for their friends, as well as everyone else who lost their life during the whole ordeal. 

  "We lived, you guys..." Seito said as he placed flowers around.

"We'll always remember you guys... to Niina, Nora, Mr. Makuroshi, Mr. Kuruwaya, Boron, Hanabishi, Keita, Rika, and anyone else... we love you."

  This is how the group left the village before making their way back to Fukuoka. Off to start their new beginnings away from Masuda Village.