Age of zombies

[35] Small talk with kohai

The air was cold that night, colder than it had been in days. We'd parked the truck in a small clearing off the road, away from any towns or signs of life. It was pitch black except for the dim light of the stars overhead. The trees around us rustled softly in the wind, making the night feel even more isolated.

Everyone else was asleep in the truck, curled up in their seats or bundled in whatever blankets we had left. The cold had a way of biting through the thin layers we had on, but it was better than being out in the open.

Me and Yabe were on the first shift, keeping watch outside the car while the others rested. We stood near the front of the truck, our breath visible in the freezing air as we tried to stay warm. I rubbed my hands together, feeling the chill sink into my bones.

"Senpai," Yabe said softly, pulling her jacket tighter around her small frame. "It's so cold tonight. I hope it doesn't get worse."

"Yeah," I muttered, exhaling a long breath. "This is nothing compared to what winter might be like if we make it that far north. We'll need to find more supplies, warmer clothes."

Yabe nodded, her face barely visible in the dim light. She was standing close to me, her eyes scanning the dark woods around us. She looked small, fragile in the cold night air, but there was a quiet strength in her that kept her going.

After a few moments of silence, Yabe's voice broke through the quiet. "Do you think your parents are okay, Senpai?"

I felt a pang in my chest at the mention of my parents. It had been days—no, weeks—since the internet went down, since the phones stopped working. The last time I'd spoken to them, they'd been worried but safe, telling me to stay put and that everything would be okay. But things hadn't been okay for a long time.

"I don't know," I admitted, my voice low. "I've been thinking about them a lot. But... there's no way to know if they're still alive, or if the outbreak reached them."

Yabe looked down, her voice soft and uncertain. "Same here. My parents are far away... I was supposed to go back home after the semester ended, but then everything went wrong. I don't even know if they're still... I haven't been able to talk to them since everything fell apart."

I could hear the pain in her voice, the uncertainty, and it hit me hard. We were all in the same boat—cut off from the people we loved, not knowing if they were alive or dead. It was a brutal kind of helplessness.

"I keep thinking," Yabe continued, her voice trembling slightly, "about all the things I should've said. The last time I talked to them, it was just about school and boring stuff. I didn't even tell them I loved them. I didn't... I didn't think it would be the last time I'd hear their voices."

I turned to her, feeling a knot form in my throat. "I know the feeling. I keep replaying the last conversation I had with my parents in my head, thinking of all the things I should've said. But I guess... we never expect things to fall apart this fast."

Yabe nodded, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she hugged herself against the cold. "I just hope they're okay. Wherever they are."

"I hope so too," I said quietly, feeling the weight of my own uncertainty pressing down on me. "But we can't know for sure. All we can do is keep moving forward. Try to survive. Maybe we'll find a way to reconnect one day."

The wind picked up, rustling the leaves above us as we both stood in silence for a while, lost in our own thoughts. The reality of the situation was always there, hovering over us like a dark cloud. We'd lost so much, and there was no guarantee that anything we loved was still out there waiting for us.

Yabe broke the silence again, her voice a little stronger now. "Do you think... we'll ever find them? Our families, I mean."

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck as I tried to think of something hopeful to say. "I don't know. I want to believe that we will. That maybe, when things settle down, we can find a way to reach them. But... the world's changed so much. It's hard to say what'll happen."

She nodded, her expression somber but resolute. "Yeah... I guess we just have to keep going. For them."

I smiled faintly, though it didn't quite reach my eyes. "Yeah. For them."

We stood there in the cold for a little longer, neither of us speaking, just keeping watch and trying to hold on to some small sliver of hope. The night was long, and the silence around us only made the weight of our situation heavier. But at least, for a moment, we had each other to lean on.

Eventually, Yabe broke the silence again, this time with a small, sad smile. "Thanks, Senpai. For listening. It helps... a little."

I gave her a reassuring nod. "Anytime, Kohai. We're all in this together."

And with that, we fell back into our quiet vigil, watching the darkness around us, waiting for the dawn.

Q: Would you date a girl like Yabe?