Take Your Hands Off My Neck and Hold On To the Ghost Of My Body

Death in Arms Reach

"Morning"

Muichiro said as Aoi and Senjuro woke up.

"Your awake already?"

Aoi asked

Muichiro nodded. He didn't really feel like telling her how he couldn't sleep. Waking up from a nightmare and sitting through the rest of the cold night trying not to collapse crying.

Senjuro moved to shake the girls awake and Muichiro helped Aoi to pack all their supplies neatly into the packs.

They slung the backpacks over their shoulders and set off, racing down the stairs.

It was moving into winter, the days would be getting shorter now. It gave them less time to move.

Muichiro wished there were a place they could just settle down and camp in for longer than a night, that would be nice.

He watched up ahead, Senjuro and the butterfly girls seemed so optimistic. So unbothered by the chaos of the world. How he wished he could afford to be childish like that.

Even before the apocalypse.

He didn't remember his childhood.

And he had too much responsibility to allow himself to act his real age.

He glanced over at Aoi.

She was silent, but her face said everything.

The worry she carried with her, the fear.

She said she had been in his final selection group, but he didn't remember her.

Wasn't she just a nurse anyway? Why did she go to final selection if she didn't intend on being a demon slayer? What is the purpose of that?

It didn't make sense.

She didn't make sense.

Muichiro didn't bother saying anything to her.

What would you say to someone in this situation?

Happy Apocalypse?

His eyes trailed across the horizon until he spotted something in the distance.

"There's a store up ahead, we can get some supplies."

"We already have everything we need."

Aoi answered bluntly.

"I want a shirt."

She rolled her eyes.

"fine."

...............................................

Muichiro stepped through the store window, Broken glass crunching under his feet.

The group split up, combing through the aisles for anything of use.

The Store had clearly been raided, shelves were tipped on the floor and empty boxes were littered across the floor.

Muichiro walked cautiously through the aisles, scanning the ground for anything remotely shirt-like.

He stepped forward and immediately jumped back as his foot splashed into a puddle.

His eyes widened at the sight of red.

Deep red blood coated the floor, coming from what seemed to be a door to the back of the store.

He swallowed, reaching towards the doorknob.

It clicked open easily, swinging open with a creak.

"Hello?" He croaked, staring into the dark.

His hand reached towards the wall, flicking the light switch.

More blood.

It was everywhere, splattered across the walls and floor.

It was just a big room of red.

Then he saw the bodies.

Corpses leaned against the wall, twisted and contorted, with pained expressions on their faces.

The stench of rotting flesh was overpowering, filling the room.

Muichiro's eyes widened as he jumped back, covering his nose to block the scent.

He backed up slowly, holding onto the empty shelves for support.

A young girl's scream filled the air, and he jumped up, snapping out of his panic.

He raced towards the sound, soon followed by Aoi and Senjuro.

As they sprinted around the corner, they were met with the sight of the butterfly girls against the shelves, zombie towering over them.

Aoi immediately swung her gun off her shoulder, hurriedly trying to reload it. Senjuro backed up behind her, as Muichiro scanned the surroundings.

He didn't have any weapons, but something around here had to be of use.

His eyes landed on one of the broken shelves, darting towards it and prying at a loose metal bar.

It came free surprisingly easily, and Muichiro didn't waste any time, sending it crashing into the Zombie's skull.

Blood sprayed from the spot he hit it in, splattering across his face and exposed chest.

"Go!" He yelled, and the six of them took off out the store doors.

Where there was one Zombie, there was always more on their way.

They had barely run a couple feet from the store before more burst outside, hot on their trail.

Aoi fired a few shots into them, but the number of Zombies far overwhelmed their amount of bullets.

Muichiro tried to focus in front of them, but he could only see another approaching hoard. The sound of the gun must have attracted them.

He grit his teeth in frustration as they were met with a brick wall, no where else to run.

Aoi wasted no time, digging her hands into the wall and hoisting herself up.

"Hurry up!" She commanded, holding out her hand to help the others.

Muichiro ushered the three girls forward, holding them up to Aoi's outstretched arms first.

The hoards filed towards them quicker than expected, and Muichiro beckoned for Senjuro to come forward in a panic.

The boys scaled the wall, within arms reach of the infectious horde.

Muichiro reached the top just in time to turn and see mutated fleshy arms wrapping around Senjuro's leg, dragging him down.

His breath caught and his eyes widened as his hand shot out, grabbing the younger Rengoku to stop him being pulled away.

"Aoi!" He called out, straining to keep a hold of Senjuro's hand. It was like a game of tug of war with the horde.

Aoi was already there when he called, cocking her gun and aiming it at the Zombies beneath them.

Shots echoed through the air as she fired at them, and they released the grip on Senjuro, letting Muichiro pull him up.

They all collapsed breathing heavily, listening to the low groans of the Zombies.

"I told you we shouldn't have gone into that store." Aoi sniped at Muichiro, slinging the gun back onto her shoulder.

"Yeah, Yeah, I know" Muichiro grumbled halfheartedly, more focused on Senjuro. "You alright?"

Senjuro offered a timid nod, shaking from his brush with death.

Muichiro offered him a hand, helping him up from the ground.

"Lets get moving again."

Notes:

IMMMM BACKKKKK.

So I don't really have a big reason for being gone, I just didn't want to write and my mental health has been actively working against me, But I'm back now!

Don't you all just love me, showing up after a while just to almost kill a character?