Null Life: Last Day

Chapter 4

As they were all finally done with school, their lives could finally get onto the road. Hori's Mother sat in the audience, giving me her most heart warming smiles as everyone went through the process. The possible greener pastures only made Hori contain a lingering depressing mindspace, although one silver lining made itself apparent. Getting away from all these other students and simply being with Aiko and Asahi, just like the three had planned. They were going to go to work at their jobs, eat together, go to Baseball and karaoke together. It was all just around the corner now.

    Hori was now sitting at home after undressing from her graduation attire—wondering what to do next. But then reality kicked in as if right on queue.
"Hori! Lock all the doors and windows with me right now!" Her Mother called out to her from the living room.
"Great. Just great." Hori muttered to herself worriedly. It wasn't hard for Hori to figure that the dark weirdness she wanted out of her life had already returned in a more drastic form.
"What's happening now, Mama?"

"Nothing too large, but I just want to ensure our safety." She said. 'I've just heard the news explain a few of the special infected had escaped their... prison, especially the home invader and your former friend Kuragari!'
Hori went to lock the rear door. 'Why was the home invader in this so called prison? And now this? I'm confused now...' It turned out they hadn't revealed the girl's name just because that information wasn't given by the people running that classified facility. Yet they knew her name.

The picture of the girl's face sufficed for the sake of being wary. One thing still gnawed at Hori about her as much as it was a concern before. Some of her clothing was exactly like Kuragari's own. Even the jacket. It wouldn't even be something to be concerned about, but something seemed so reminiscent, so familiar about her entire being, for Hori. She felt this strange sensation of nostalgia deep in her gut.

"Who the hell was she, and how was she here in my home and over there in that prison so quickly?"

Kuragari being a special infected was bad news for them as well. Hori hoped everyone from school had crossed his mind due to their confrontational history. I every single problem, he was problematic presence, the fiend, in every single instance and he never acknowledged that. They had come close to drawing blood from each other one recess, until the Headmaster arrived with the authorities. She texted Asahi and Aiko to keep their guard up if Kuragari just happened to show up in their homes or vicinity. With this, Hori now had to embrace yet another day of a lingering dread. 'When am I going to get a break from all of this bullshit!?'

''Stop cursing, Hori!'' Her Mother snapped.

Once again, at least there were the apparent silver linings. Everything wasn't judgement day just yet. Only the prefecture containing this whole infected issue was hers. Hori debated on calling herself crazy for wanting the country's leader to seal her prefecture off from the rest of Japan. She settled on believing this really should happen, for the sake of Japan. 'Mama, may I come with you to the supermarket?' They had planned to do some shopping hours ago, but the abrupt anxiety was making Hori jump to sudden decisions in an effort to ease the tension and fear. No response. Hori assumed she might've been taking a nap in her bedroom. She called out for her once more, but was still met with silence. Just to be sure that nothing hed dread was predicting would happen was actually happening, she got up and went to check on her. As she reached her, a sudden series of visions assaulted her sight. She saw herself standing behind the couch, stabbing her mother's throat over and over with a large kitchen knife, all while manically cackling like someone bent on insanity. But she didn't feel the same way as the murderous counterpart. Fear and resentment collided, and she was on the verge of screaming from this newfound shock.

Something else within kept Hori in check. A distant, at home emotion, a single thought. She then saw herself being present with the girl and Kuragari himself, walking toward Aiko's home. These visions left as quick as they entered Hori's psyche, and she came back to seeing her Mother shaking her out of it.