Corpse Party: Future [Fanfiction]

Chapter 1: Alive

(Written on 9 Sept)

Ayumi opened her eyes just in time to find a beige ceiling hovering before her. Her sapphire eyes were bleak, devoid of any emotion. Inside, she struggled with great difficulty to comprehend the current situation she was in. For some unknown reason, her mind felt extremely groggy, as if she had just woken up from an eternal slumber.

Where am I...?

She tilted her head slightly to the side and could distinctly see someone seated by her bedside, slowly flipping the pages through a book.

Who's... there...?

Through her foggy vision, the girl could barely make out numerous tubes and IV drips that were attached to her arm through extremely fine needles. A heart monitor stood inanimately just against the wall, giving off nothing but simple beeps that went in synchronization with her heartbeat.

Is this... a hospital...?

She struggled to reach out towards him, but could not muster up the strength to do so.

"Nn..."

... Am I... actually still alive?

Her fingers closed around the coarse fabric of the unknown person's red shirt and began to tug lightly. Amongst all of this person's features, the most distinguishable one that she could make out was the bleached-coloured hair that grew short on his head. An image of someone popped up in her head, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not discern who. Upon tugging lightly, the stranger abruptly turned his head and she could see a familiar face evolve into a shocked expression.

"...! Shinozaki! You're awake! Thank goodness..."

This voice...!

No way... is it...

"... K-Kishinuma...?"

Her voice was raspy, barely as loud as a whisper; so soft that it could have come across as nothing but a gentle puff of air blown into the atmosphere. However, she could feel a pair of hands carefully supporting her up as she tried to sit up straight.

These were the same pair of hands that had bravely protected her from any harm during their time in Heavenly Host.

"Hold on a sec, Shinozaki, just rest for a bit while I let Satoshi and Nakashima know that you're awake." The delinquent began to fiddle with his phone, punching buttons while typing a text message. "You were unconscious for a whole week, you know! Do you know how worried we were?"

"..."

A week...? So...

Does that mean... Kishinuma was here all this time...?

Her hands began to shake ever so slightly as her lips quivered at the thought of being watched over by her friend over the long period of time she was knocked out.

... Kishinuma... was always protecting me...

Thinking back, she started to ponder about the meaning of her own existence. She was the one that started it all, and inevitably caused the deaths of her classmates. She was the one who wanted to revive her friends with the use of black magic, and her ultimate failure took away her sister as a result.

Was it really all worth it...? To still be protected even though she had brought about much harm to others?

She could feel the moisture welling up in her eyes. Unable to restrain her guilt, her tears began to fall silently down her cheeks.