[Denji x Reze] COUNTRY MICE | a Chainsaw Man Fanfiction

Chapter 8: Escapism

   Smoke covered the sky and ashes littered the air, a smog taking a chokehold on those who breathed in the rubble. Homes that were once loved and cherished by families now crumbled upon the ground and nothing but a pile of brick or burnt furnishings, yards formerly green and luscious; full of grass and clover now dead and brown. Booms and bangs filled the air, like firecrackers bursting in the sky. The ground shook in earthquake fashion and people cried as they saw the last of loved ones. The smoke entered Reze's lungs, the smell overtaking her nostrils and sense of smell, unable to recall what clear air felt like because the memory was far too gone; destruction was all the girl was taught to know. She was lost in ruination, the elimination of her target the only thing on her mind. She turned her back to the innocents crying- she was here for her mission. She didn't care who she hurt. She couldn't care who she hurt. She had to do what needed to be done.

   Once she saw her objective, Reze cut in front of her. She wondered to herself; why would someone want this woman to die? She was frail, not old enough to be gray, but old enough to be wise. Her hair was thinning, but black, and she had a fair face with dark eyes that were scared, irises trembling and skin gone pale. Terror struck within her soul, the housewife in her tattered evening gown looking for reason within Reze's gaze of why someone would want to do this. Reze didn't have a reason, other than her blind loyalty to her cause, that she knew better than to question. The woman cried to her: "...Please." Reze couldn't meet the victim's eyes as she killed her; she couldn't let this get to her. She could only be another number upon the countless that lay lifeless due to Reze's design. Reze finally mustered the courage to finish her task, twisting her neck and feeling the woman's grasp limply fall off of her wrists upon her sides. The world was still and quiet at the housewives time of death. Reze heard cries, cries of children, of friends, of family. The whole city began to weep at her actions. But Reze was unbothered, getting up like it had never affected her. As she walked away, the weeping didn't stop, it just followed her. The cries never sobered until she felt a breath upon her ear:

   It was a whisper with no source. A shadow looms behind her, as fears intersperse. Something unworldly was upon her. It felt like the prick of your nerves when you know someone is watching, but you don't know from where. The anxiety you have once you know you are guilty of something, but can't place your finger on what. Rezes's heart races, and she tries to make sense of these sensory contradictions, while her instincts scream that something is profoundly wrong. This fear that has accumulated is primal, her soul knew that with this presence survival would not be an option. Reze whipped her head around, only now understanding what true fear was, understanding that what she was about to face was something worse than death. Her heart pounded, wanting to escape from her body because it did not wish to die, not now.

   Reze met a gaze brimming with otherworldly malice, that peered straight through her and knew what she was: these pair of eyes didn't see a person, they saw the devil that grew within Reze with every life that she took. It reached the bottom of her mind. Time slows, the air chills, and for a moment, she is transfixed, caught in the gravity of their ominous stare. She can't look away. It was a wordless encounter at first until Makima murmured...

"You're no better than I."

   Reze gasps, and she is thrown to reality with little breath left in her in a cold sweat. She jolts straight up touching her face to make sure that this reality was true, that she was safe. Surely enough, it is. Denji was next to her, his arms wrapped around her waist and head on her shoulder, but was abruptly woken up by her sudden movement which sent him into motion as well, 

"Jeez!" He gasped, noticing she was visibly shaken, "What's up? Did a bug crawl in your hair or something." Reze is silent at first, looking towards the ground and then towards Denji. She observes that he is concerned about her and visibly confused. She wonders if her night terror was worth sharing, but ultimately decides to take a step in beginning to trust Denji, concluding it'd be best to tell him about the nightmare she'd had.