Alone for the night? (Howard)

[Tsuki Minamoto]

Opening the metal gate with a loud and rusted ‘creak’ noise, did little to calm Tsuki’s nerves, which at this point, were threatening to snap at the slightest thing. Walking through it, she rubbed her hands together, a way to give her cold digits some warmth, no matter how brief it was, and moved onto to doing the same with her arms. She felt so cold, especially after wandering around, looking for the others only to find one of them...dead.

She had stumbled back at her accidental discovery and took off in the opposite direction, but that didn’t stop her mind from analyzing. The mark that had been on Mikoto’s body had been made by a blade, she wasn’t what kind, but the fact that another person did this, was more than enough to send Tsuki fleeing. This was like a horrible dream, or a horror story, and she hated horror stories so much. Either way, when she had stopped, she noticed that it was getting dark, her best bet was to head for the church for shelter.

She wasn’t far now, even though she was moving at a very slow paste, glancing over her shoulder every five seconds. She was at this point, terrified of the idea of someone charging through the field towards her, finally after awhile, she reached the doors of the church, and opened the door slowly. The soft lighting of candles greeted her vision, as she opened the door wider to let herself in before closing it behind her. Strange, she couldn’t see any priests attending to this place. ”Hello?” She called out, however not too loudly, as she walked down the isle between the pews.

Releasing a sigh, she sat down in one of the pews that was closest to the alter; and raised her hands to her face, pressing them against her eyes as the tears began to spring forth. She took in a shuddery breath as she tried to steal herself, but it was incredibly hard to do so. One of her classmates had been killed, what of the others? Would they face the same fate? She prayed not, but even then she didn’t know which deity would answer that prayer, the gods liked to taunt and toy, this would be no different.

Sniffing, she wiped away her tears away, before opening her chocolate brown eyes to look around. She blinked however, as she noticed something up at the alter. Standing up from her seat, she walked over to it, and blinked in surprise as it was a black kimono. She was cold, and the Kimono would be great for extra warmth, and no one was around so they couldn’t stop her, besides she’ll put it right back once it had finished its purpose.

Reaching forward, she picked it up, letting it unfold, and for the first time in hours, a smile crossed her lips as a result. How strange, the kimono was lovely, but it looked like it hasn’t been used in years that was a huge shame too. Pulling it on, she practically cooed at the warmth it brought her then her current clothing, and turned to sit back down on the pew.

There wasn’t much that she could do now. It would be too dangerous to wander around in the dark, with someone out there killing. Her best bet was to stay here in the church, at least here she had a shelter and some warmth, no matter how small it was. She was hungry as well, only eating breakfast before she went off on her trip with everyone else. But two out of three wasn’t so bad, maybe tomorrow, she’d find some water, that won’t be red in color, as there was no way she was going to drink that, not without purifying it first.

Raising her hand to her face, she brushed aside some of her bangs, before looking down at the pew she was sitting on, might as well as try to check some sleep, if any will be graced with her tonight anyway.

[Howard Wright]

Maybe he was going the wrong way. All his eyes could see was hills of swampy farmland, or at least the parts that weren’t concealed by the fog, it looked liked a death-trap waiting to happen. Subconsciously his fingers played along the wooden handle of the old shovel, the silver rings clacking against it’s surface. The sound calmed his nerves, the movement substituting fidgeting. The night was falling quickly, and Howard had a feeling things got a lot worse at night, maybe it was all those old movies sneaking into the back of his mind, but better safe then sorry. With a heavy swallow, the boy nodded to himself and he took a step into the tarnished terrain, his sneakers squishing in the moist dirt. As he pushed further into the plains, the paths became crowded with shrubbery, making it hard to see anything on either side of you, only the weight of the shovel in his cold palm giving him any sort of reassurance. Multiple times he could hear something rustle through the bushes next to him, causing him to jump and swing the shovel a couple times at the defenseless canopy. The jackrabbits must be screwing with him. It’s the only explanation he could bring his mind to accept.
As he reached a peak of the path, up a small set of steps, he paused to check his surrounds. From here he could see a ridge expanding upon the eastern bank, and above it, what looked like a building with a tall, angled roof. If he could cross the field to the ridge, perhaps he could make it over there… his mind wavered into thought, about to follow through with this plan before a sudden burst of pain exploded across his head. Immediately Howard doubled over, hands pawing at the throbbing ache, but after only a moment, the pain faded, but something was different. He felt as though he was breathing through another person’s body, the breath heavy and labored. The vision seemed shaky, but he could see a gun pointed down into the field, a deranged cackle echoing in his ears. The whole ordeal lasted only a few brief seconds before he snapped out of it with a shocked cry.

“What was that…?” The youth wasn’t quite sure who he was asking, but managed to straighten himself out, reaching down to collect the shovel he’d dropped in the freakish ordeal. It felt like one of those things—one of those creatures. His chocolate orbs gave another look to the area, recognizing a few of the distinct landmarks he’d just seen… through it. He wasn’t going to question it, if that vision was right, then it was right above him, farther east then the ridge. Dropping to a crouch, he snuck carefully along the edge of the brush, the odd pieces that stuck out occasionally hitting him in the face, even when he’d raise a hand to push them away. His heart was hammering in his chest, like the beating wings of a trapped bird behind his ribs. His teeth bit down of his lips to hopefully muffle what little breathing he was doing, now able to hear the subtle clicks of the safety being repeated hatched and released. He’d have to move along the inner ridge instead if he wanted to get away from this asshole without a bullet in his back. Slowly, and slowly still, he crept to the nearby ledge, gently stepping off it and securing his feet stay silent, flexing his fingers around the shovel.

After what seemed several grueling hours, the boy had managed to sneak through the iron gate to safety, for now at least, still, accomplishment swelled warm in his chest as he stood up with an angry cry from his legs. It was like the coach having you run two extra rounds in track because you stopped to tie your shoe. The building was only a mile away at most, and the youth began to make the climb towards it, however, he came across someone. It was a woman, face-down in the dirt, a large gash splitting down her back.
“Shit—“ He rushed over, the cold air giving him insight to the beads of sweat that had accumulated on his forehead. He placed the shovel beside him, using both hands to try and lift her by the shoulder. She was wearing a dirtied white blouse and a pale-blue skirt, no shoes to be found, her dark bob of hair clotted with something thick and black, she smelled like old perfume.
“Hey, Hey,” He began to turn her over, but the eyes that were once closed suddenly flew open, Howard’s eyes widening in shock. She bared her teeth like an animal in a feral smile, lunging foreword to grab at his throat.
“Kimochiiiii. Kimochi yooooo?!” She shrieked, the boy flung backward into the mud. It took all of his strength to keep her at bay while he floundered for the shovel, finally finding it’s hilt and slamming it into her face. With her bewildered scream he used his legs to kick her off, flipping himself over and standing up. She was already recovering herself, tears of fresh blood running quickly down her cheeks. Howard took a batter’s stance and swung as hard as he could, after the definitive crack of her cranium she was down for the count.

Needless to say, he was very careful about opening the church door, slowly pushing upon the silver handle, and quietly slipping inside. The subtle candle-light was soothing, and he leaned his back against the door and closed his eyes. This was defiantly an improvement from those old sheds, where he was leaked on and disturbed, jumping at every small noise, relocating every couple of hours…
A tiny sob caused his optics to open, lashes still fairly close to his flushed cheeks. He was exhausted, and tired, but held tight to the shovel, now decorated with splatters of gore. There was a figure, from what he could tell at the front of the building. Which, come to think about it, very much resembled a church. To think he wasn’t even safe here made his muscles ache, a vie of frustration engulfing him. He thought of coming up behind it and taking just one more good swing. However, as he crept closer, he noticed she didn’t have any visible wounds he could see, and she didn’t sound scary. Just sad. Tiny little sobs that really got to him. He let the weapon hang to his side, non-threatening, his free hand scratching the back of his head, feeling very much like he was back in school again, asking a senpai to be his tutor.
“Uh,um… Hi.” He started, probably startling her. “Oh, uh, I’m not one of them. Don’t worry…” Oh wait, judging from her face, she didn’t look like she spoke much English. Howard was tired, but he tried again.
“Bujisokusai wa. Daijoubu?”

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TRANSLATION

the female shibito said some fxcked up version of asking Howard if it felt good.

Bujisokusai wa. Daijoubu? - (literally) I am good and healthy. Are you alright?

[Tsuki Minamoto]

He was correct, hearing a voice behind her did startle her, more than enough for her jump up from her seat and press her back against the alter. He spoke to her in English, she knew from all her English courses, and she wasn’t fluent, she understood what he was saying to her, “H-Hai...Daijoubu desu.” She answered back, before wetting her lips, perhaps she should try speaking to him in English?

“Ano...I know some Engrish.” She said, “Not lot, I am sorry.” She said to him, before her chocolate brown eyes scanned his form, filled with worry, “You are ok?” She asked, pushing off the alter, the black kimono still over her form as she approached him, he had blood one him, and she hoped it wasn’t his own. Peering up at his face, she noticed a few things, mostly the result of her medical studies, his eyes were dilated even with the amount of light in the room, still experiencing a burst of adrenaline at least. His face looked haggard and tired, suggesting he hasn’t been getting much sleep, not that she could blame him with those things outside.

Reaching up with one hand, she brushed at the dirt smudge on his cheek, mostly to check for bruising of some kind. Poor guy seemed to be caked in dirt and grime, though she would have to think that a nice bath with nice normal water would be god sent right about now, she didn’t trust that red water enough to drink it, she sure as heck wasn’t going to bathe in it.

Pulling her hand back, she smiled at him, “I am student doctor?” She wasn’t sure if that was the correct wording to it. She never got a great enough fascination in English to go past the basics. “I take look at wound?” He had some blood on his shirt and even a small tear that she could only assume meant that he had been hurt, strangely, the hole was small, making it look like...a bullet could’ve made it. But this man wouldn’t be alive if it was indeed a bullet...

“Oh, I forgot!” She said suddenly and formally bowed to him, “I am, M—Tsuki Minamoto. It is nice to meet you.” English traditions were tricky to remember! She almost forgot that they introduced themselves first name and the surname instead of the other way around. Straightening herself, she gently grabbed his hand that wasn’t holding the shovel and tugged him forward, “Come, you look like you are about to fall off feet.” She let a small giggle though, the contact was mostly for herself, reaffirming that he was here, he was real, he was warm, thus he was alive, he wasn’t like those living corpses out there, cold and seeming so much like something out of a nightmare.

Deciding that she didn’t need it, she slipped the kimono off of her shoulders and slipped it on his own. He might’ve been out there much longer then she was, he needed all the warmth that he could get, and luckily, her body heat was already making it rather warm, this should easily transfer her heat to his, “Warmer, yes?” She inquired.

[Howard Wright]

Her voice was so meek, and he couldn’t help but display a small smile at her English. It wasn’t that rare to see the Japanese struggle with English, so many letters they weren’t used to pronouncing. It never bothered Howard, he was sure his Japanese sounded just as strange. She stood, draped in a traditional Japanese robe, her pale fingers clutching to it dearly as she shuffled over to him. Her eyes were like large almonds on her round face, her irises big and round like a deer’s. She had a very calm and comforting aura, and Howard tucked the shovel a couple more inches behind him, hoping not to scare her with all the blood. Hard to do, considering it was splattered all over his body as it was. She seemed to be analyzing him, a calculating look crossing her features and pursing her peach-colored lips. His breath was still coming out in shallow little fast-paced gasps, he had sprinted the rest of the way here, and his heart-rate still hadn’t dropped yet.

She startled him a bit with her touch, chilly fingers brushing softly across his cheek, the cold quickly countered by the hot flush that spread across his cheeks. How embarrassing. Though he was lucky to meet such a pretty survivor in the middle of this hell.
“A student doctor?” He inquired. It wasn’t very hard to imagine, it looked in her nature to be so. She pin-pointed the blood on his chest, obviously his own, probably curious about someone living through a wound like this. He used two fingers to grab the stain and pull it away from his body as if he didn’t want it on his skin, and looked at it. Rubbing the ends of his digits on the material. It hadn’t exactly dried yet, it was so humid here. At her mention of taking a closer look, the blush ran up the base of his neck, immediately his mind raced for any sort of excuse to not take off his shirt. Plus, now really wasn’t the time for a check-up, he was pretty sure he didn’t have anything serious, just the mysterious ability to live through a gun-shot straight to the chest. Thankfully she stopped to introduce herself in a rather rushed, but very polite manner. Howard, very jumpy considering his position and how tired he was, gave a start and even gave a small bow himself.

“Ah—Yeah, my name’s Howard Wright.” He realized how idiotic his half bow looked and straightened his back, a single finger scratching his nose. He must be beat red by now, but he gave a friendly nod and a smile. “OK, Minamoto-san. Howard Wrighto des. Yoroshiku.” She was good, she could even see how tired he was without him having to tell her. He probably had big black sacks under his eyes, though, his lips tugging to the side to resemble confusion. Her touches, however insistent, were very careful, but she still managed to make him stumbled foreword like a fool. A warm wave suddenly coated his body, such a wonderful contrast to what he’d been through he could almost purr in delight. He heard her giggle, and the bench where she was sitting looked very comfortable right now, especially wrapped in this warm kimono…

Suddenly his eyes widened. Exhaustion did little to let him forget the situation they were in. He used his free hand and turned it so he could grip her’s, he brought it to chest level and looked her in the eyes with a smile.
“One minute… OK?” Releasing her ivory palm, he turned to the large double-doors of the church, he shoes echoing quietly against the old wooden walls. His hand tossed the shovel to get a better hold on it, and thrust it forcefully through the handles with an awful metal screech. Even so, it would be impossible for anyone to open the door from the outside. Feeling like a weight was lifted from his shoulders, he made his way back to Tsuki in the front of the church and slumped heavily down on the bench with a sigh, leaning his head back over the top of it, even closing his eyes for what he told himself would only be a few seconds. But he was so tired… In an attempt to keep himself awake, he turned his head and opened his earthy hues to looks at her.
“So, uh, Minamoto-san,” He cleared his throat. Trying to talk a bit slower so she might grasp it. “Why are you here? …Do you know what’s happening to this place?”

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TRANSLATION

Yoroshiku. - Nice to meet you.

[Tsuki Minamoto]

“A student doctor?”

Tsuki nodded her head, but her brows furrowed together mostly in hopes that her English didn’t confuse him, but it seemed like it was more of an echo then an actual confusion at what she was talking about, thank goodness. However her brows remained furrowed as she looked at him and a red began to spread across his face, she hoped that he wasn’t getting a fever! Her hand curled at her chest as her chocolate brown as looked at him. She noticed that he was rather handsome, but that wasn’t her main concern at the moment...

Tsuki released a small giggle, “You do not need to call me Minamoto-san.” She said, she rather not be addressed as such, that was her mother’s title, she was just Tsuki, “Is parents title, Tsuki-san is much better, yes?” She told him with a nod of her head, even though they were strangers it was ok for him to address her by her name, “Wrighto-san is very sweet, thank you.” He was making an effort to make her feel comfortable, she appreciated that very much.

She couldn’t help but be confused when he brought her hand chest level, though a soft pink spread through her cheeks. When he asked for one minute, she nodded and watched what he was doing. When he headed back to the church door, she felt a spike of panic rush through her. He was going to leave? Please don’t be leaving, she thought absently. Though with the squeal of metal answering her thought, she raised her hands to cover her ears. It hurt, but at least this dampened the noise enough. Thank goodness, he wasn’t leaving her, he was just sealing the door from those creatures that were outside.

Watching him come back to her, and then collapse on one of the pews up front, tugged at her heartstrings. The man hasn’t had any rest for a long time by the looks of it. So she sat down beside him, and ignored his inquiries just briefly to pat on her lap, “Pillow?” She voiced looking at him, before tilting her head to the side, “I, here by accident. My bus crashed, everyone gone. I wandered to village nearby, to look for phone. It was strange, road was flooded with red water, even homes.”

Her brows furrowed as her lips pursed, “Met other man there, had a gun, was rather rude. Fought off the creature, telling me to run...” She then remembered, standing up she returned to the pew she originally was on and picked up the video camera, “I found this.” She told him as she walked back over and sat down, “I do not know what happened here, do you?” She tilted her head at him, before she placed the video camera back on the ground beside her legs. It would be better to ask all of these questions after he got some sleep.

So she patted her lap once more, “Rest? I wake you if there is trouble, yes?”

[Howard Wright]

Thinking about it, titles were probably a bit silly in this situation, even if his teacher had always stressed that he use formality whenever he could. However, as the slim faction of human left in this hell, all of that must not be very important. She spoke to him casually, as they might if they had bumped into each other on the bus, or a busy Tokyo café. It was refreshing, and he could feel his heart-rate already beginning to slow back to normal.
“I see. OK, Tsuki-san, you can just call me Howard.” He still spoke carefully, but realized that the Ds and Ws were a bit awkward. “Whichever you like.” He’d give her an option, just in case.

When she had sat down beside him, very softly, as if not to disturb him, her round eyes held a concerned look. He might just look half-dead, so, with his head still tilted back, he cast her a smile to his full extent, hoping to soothe her worries. They could at least relax for the time being, wouldn’t do them any good to do nothing but thing of those creatures. She lifted her hand and patted her leg, offering it to him as a pillow. In any other circumstance, he would have turned it away with a gentle sweep of his hand. However, Howard was exhausted in every possible way and found the offer too good to pass up. Lifting his legs upon the bench, he swiveled his body so he could slowly drop his head down onto the top of her legs. It was so warm and soft he ad to shut his eyes for a moment and release the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

He listened to her speak through the black of his lids, nodding in acknowledgement. So they both drove here, he on his bike and she by bus. Was it coincidence? The wrong time? Surely there was some reason to this, but the thoughts and ifs began to pile up and cause a headache to threaten about his brain. He had seen the red water, at least he wasn’t crazy. It didn’t has the thickness of blood, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t diseased. Maybe this was a strain of rabies. Still, Tsuki had ended up here all alone, and probably had a worse time defending herself.
“Gomen…” He said quietly, his eyes opened to glance up at her. Her next words couldn’t have been accidental, his head bonked down on the bench a bit painfully as she rose to fumble about for something in the corner. A rude guy with a gun, yeah, that was familiar. He half sat up, rubbing the back of his head through thick brown locks. She came back and he set his head back down, hoping she wouldn’t do that again.

“Hm? A video camera?” Howard also tilted his head a bit, but didn’t get to inquire any further, Tsuki gave him a warm smile and the full of her eyes, telling him to rest. Feeling strangely at ease, the youth could barely stifle a yawn.
“Are you gonna be okay?” He mumbled, lashes already falling back onto his cheeks. “Wake me in… a few minutes… Then I’ll…” His train of thought trailed off as darkness claimed him, a soothing, wonderful feeling, one hand resting on his stomach while the other hung off the side of the bench. No one had ever said he slept gracefully, nor was his body able to try as his muscles finally loosened and relaxed.

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TRANSLATION

Gomen. - Sorry.