Samurais of Fukushima - chapters 1 - 3

Samurais of Fukushima - The Battle of the Dead

Samurais of Fukushima © 2018 / All Rights Reserved

Prologue

There isn't a scientific explanation, but time after time, nature shows all its power to rebel against human beings. Either with hurricanes, earthquakes or any other natural force to demonstrate to us how much we are small and insignificant. And the worst way it found to prove its strengths was through the illness.

Imagine a virus so mortal that in few days destroy completely the infected, since the internal organs until the skin, making the tainted olden decades in days. And as soon as the heart stops beating, the brain sends only one message for the body: attack and feed of other human beings.

The leading theory we have today is that this virus arose from the soil contaminating people through grain ingestion like rice, soybean, wheat, etc. Starting like a common virus in most of the cases, and staying inactive in a few others, rising after their death. And it doesn't matter how they have passed away. Any wound provoked by these zombies, a bite or even a scratch, start an infection so powerful that it can kill in a few hours or no later than a couple of days.

Historians have discovered that this fact already happened in many other moments in our history. Still, due to difficulty locomotion, it always was restricted in villages, cities or small countries. Archeologists found manuscripts proving the same virus has decimated all the Inca population. And ascriptions are saying it was needed Nero to take fire in Rome to save the city.

In Japan, this episode happened during the century XII, during two years and killing almost half of the population. No one knows precisely how it has finished, but it is known that everything started after a strong storm.

1. The help

In front of the fire, sat in seiza position, over his knees, he was doing the diary ritual of sharpening his katana. Passing the water's stone slowly all over the blade extension. His sword, worn out by the time and imponent as a functional katana should be, almost hasn't shown its drawings and writings in its long blade anymore. Longer than any other used to be, it has a perfect curvature looking like it was in constant attack position.

Looking through the window, he realized the snow has stopped. The winter was finishing, and those who haven't offered so much danger due to the cold weather and snow should start attacking soon with the same ferocity showed before. All voices in the other room and the steps getting close were something strange for him yet. Even after many intense months together, it wasn't enough to change his routine of long loneliness.

"Sakuraba, quick, we need you! There is one of them coming!"

He looked at Kido and smiled, put the stone aside and stood up calmly, walking to the hovel entrance. He was thinking Thorin or even that another worthless could take care of this kind of problem. Semi-frozen, undead were easy targets for anyone, and because of that, he didn't hurry. He opened the door slowly and only waited the exact distance to give a lateral kick on the undead knee. Making him fell grunting, stretching the arms slowly and without conscience of the fast movement that would separate the part over his nostrils from the rest of his body. So, Sakuraba closed the door serenely, looked at Kido reassuring her and came back close to the fire for his meditation ritual.

They needed to continue travelling, but the group wasn't ready to protect themselves without Sakuraba's support. He knew he would need help to defend everybody from all danger they could find in this journey. Therefore, he needed to control the problem that was increasing day by day inside of the group.

Sakuraba knew who could help them, but how could he ask aid for someone that destroyed everything necessary in his life? How could he put the group benefit in the place of his desire for revenge? Maybe it should be easy to get rid of Keiji and go to Niigata anyway. No, it wasn't the moment for old feelings. He got his things, put up his kimono and winter cape, and he went to meet his friends in the other room.