Home; I Found With You // Ryeji FF

rule 2.

Stirring awake from her restless slumber, her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dim interior of her armored car. She was parked on the side of the desolate road with the soft light of dawn filtering through the reinforced windows.

A heavy sigh escaped through her dry, parted lips while she cranked her driver seat upright before stretching her cramped muscles and observing her surroundings. The road stretched out before her, the evergreen trees casting shadows on the asphalt. The engine was off, conserving her precious fuel and the silence outside was broken by the distant chirping of birds.

Once she decided it was safe, she opened the door and took a step out to breathe in the clean, crisp air of the woods. As Ryujin cracked her joints, her keen eyes caught sight of a small river running alongside the highway. The glimmering water seemed like a rare oasis amid the post-apocalyptic world, and she realised that it was an opportunity she couldn't pass up.

Ryujin walked over to her trunk, opening it to collect her blood-stained clothes and some scented soap she picked up from the supermarket. The branches snapped beneath her boots as she approached the river, her senses on high alert, scanning the area for any signs of danger. The last thing she needed was to be caught off guard while vulnerable.

As she knelt by the river's edge, she cupped her hands and splashed cool water onto her face. It was a simple pleasure, a brief respite from the harsh realities of the world she lived in. She scrubbed away the accumulated dirt and grime, along with the dried blood stains off her face with each splash.

After cleaning her face, Ryujin carefully undressed, wincing at the sight of the scrapes and bruises that adored her body. The river's gentle current provided a natural source of water for cleansing, and she made the most of it. Since she had been in survival mode, there were countless ponds of water that she drove past, but she knew better than to go near it.

In stagnant water, it was a breeding ground for insects, bacteria, and viruses. Along with all the potentially deadly diseases that come with it, the water also could become watery graves for rotting corpses and Ryujin did not fancy drinking zombie stew.

Once she dressed herself in clean clothes, she left like a new person. The river had offered her a moment of reprieve. The pile of dirty clothes she had brought with her was dipped into the water as she hand-washed each article of clothing.

The tranquillity of the river had been shattered by the sight of a horde of zombies approaching, their greyed eyes fixed on her like ravenous predators. Ryujin quickly picked up her clothes and quickly began to head back to her car.

In her haste to escape, she made a critical error, accidentally stepping on a brittle branch with a loud crack that echoed through the stillness of the riverbank. The sound became a siren call to the undead, an irresistible invitation to a feast.

The moment the branch snapped beneath her foot, the zombies who had been ambling toward her at a slow, lethargic pace, sprang into action. It was as if a switch had been flipped, their hunger fuelling their sprinting.

"Shit." Ryujin whispered under her breath, watching the swarm rush towards her faster than she could comprehend.

The car was nearby, but the distance between her and safety seemed impossibly far. With adrenaline coursing through her veins, she sprinted toward her car, her breath coming in quick, panicked gasps. The zombies closed in on her, their grotesque moans, and outstretched arms mere inches away.

Her clothes dripped in her arms as she reached the car just in time, her fingers fumbling with the keys. She swung the door open and tumbled inside, slamming it shut behind her. The corpses descended upon the armoured car, their gnarled hands clawing at the reinforced windows and doors.