Apocalyptic Love

Chapter 44 The Journey West

The group continued to stay off the main highway to avoid any herds of Walkers. Now that the Walkers showed signs of sentience, they needed to stay on the back roads. It would take longer to reach the West Coast, but it was the only option they had. Sesshomaru informed Kagome and the group that he needed to return to the Youkai World; things would be more complicated, though he did promise to come back occasionally to check on them. Shippou stayed, though, especially since he knew that Beth was his mate. They needed to get to know each other.

After Kagome fed Caleb and put him in the crib for a nap with Judith, Kagome sat at the table and began writing sutras. She decided earlier to write sutras for everyone. She would then bless the sutras and weapons so they could purify any Walkers in the future. Carl sat across from his mom and asked her what she was doing. "I'm writing sutras, and I'm going to bless all the weapons so they can purify the Walkers," Kagome explained.

Carl looked at Kagome curiously, "Why do the Walkers need to be purified?"

"Because if these are So'unga's minions, a bullet to the head will not work. The dead will only regenerate. I've fought these things before, Carl, and the only ones who could kill them were Miroku and me with our spiritual powers. Or a demon sword," Kagome explained to her son.

"A Demon sword?" Carl asked.

"A sword made by Tōtōsai that has demonic properties. For example, Sesshomaru's father, Tōga, used his fangs to make Tenseiga and Tetsusaiga." Kagome explained to her son.

Carl leaned forward slightly, clearly intrigued despite everything going on around them. "So... we can't just shoot them anymore?"

Kagome gave a small, tired smile, setting her brush down for a moment. "We can... for now. But if what I'm feeling is right, that won't last. The more influence So'unga has on this world, the stronger the dead will become."

Carl's expression hardened in a way that still made Kagome's heart ache. He was far too young to understand things like this... and yet, he already did.

"So we need to be ready before that happens," he said quietly.

Kagome reached across the table and gently brushed his hair back from his face. "Exactly."

Rick leaned against the doorway, having heard more of the conversation than either of them realized. His arms were crossed, his expression thoughtful—concerned, but steady.

"How long do we have?" he asked.

Kagome hesitated.

That alone was enough to make Rick straighten.

"I don't know," she admitted softly. "But things are changing faster now. I can feel it. The balance between this world and the spirit world... it's breaking."

A heavy silence settled over the room.

Daryl shifted where he stood near the window, glancing out at the treeline. "Been seein' it too," he muttered. "Walkers ain't movin' like they used to."

That got everyone's attention.

Rick's eyes snapped to him. "What do you mean?"

Daryl shrugged, but there was tension in his shoulders. "Tracks don't make sense anymore. They circle. Double back. Like they're... huntin'."

Carl's grip tightened on the edge of the table.

Kagome felt it then—like a cold breath brushing against her skin.

Her head snapped toward the window.

"...Everyone stay quiet."

Rick was moving before she even finished speaking, instinct taking over as he reached for his gun. Daryl silently grabbed his crossbow, stepping closer to the door.