章 55: Samurai
Toshi told Raiden and Makie about his father's condition. Makie couldn't help but worry about it. But, Raiden saw that coming just like Toshi.
"So, it's true then," Raiden said. "Everyone who gets bitten by one of them becomes just like them. An endless virus, which will keep on spreading no matter how much you try to stop it."
"It can't be-" Makie still didn't want to admit the worse.
"It is what it is," Toshi claimed. "We can't do anything about it."
"But- But, why is it happening at all? Where did all those people come from? And, why were they like this from the beginning?" Makie asked.
"I don't think they came from somewhere else," Raiden said. "Scary or terrifying, but, they looked Japanese and native on top of that. It's some kind of virus which they were infected from and 6 days ago they attacked the city. The virus takes 3 full days to affect that person. One bite and it is game over."
"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Toshi claimed.
Makie felt so helpless over the situation that she didn't even ask any more thing.
While the day was slowly passing they all sat in the hall, in front of the TV, and watched the tragedy happening all over their city.
It was a disaster. On the 4th day of the outbreak, it was not only the hospitals where the people who had turned were found. But, these people were also found in a lot of houses. Just like Ralf, those people who got bitten by the monsters stayed put in their houses and turned.
It was now the 6th day and the situation had long gone out of the cop's hands. Still, the cops tried their best to eliminate the monsters. They were sacrificing themselves one after another.
Some cops ran away, some stayed on the battlefields and some waited for reinforcements but none came for their support. Now, it was on them to protect their land.
They wanted to help the ones in need but it was becoming hard for their survival at that point.
The Sheriff was one of those still standing on the battlefields alongside his team. The team of 7 hovered around the city in the search of any survivors. The Sheriff had lost all hopes of getting rid of all of the monsters so he decided to save as many people as he could. And, his team respected and devoted themselves to accompanying him on his decision.
There were no orders from the above. No reinforcements. And, all of the cops were losing hope as time passed.
It was a terrible situation going around in Tokyo.
"Honey! Don't worry, it will be alright!"
An old woman said to her sick husband who lay in the bed. His husband was also bitten.
"I think, I won't make it," the sick husband said as he coughed blood while completing the sentence.
"No don't say that," that old woman started crying.
"You saw the news too, you should know what will happen to me now."
"No!!!!" The wife screamed in remorse knowing what will happen to his husband.
Seeing her cry like that the husband made an effort to stand up from his bed and he started walking towards the house's exit.
The woman was confused seeing his husband act like that, "Where are you going? You are sick. You should stay in your bed," she said as she chased behind him.
"I'm gonna become like them so I can't stay in this house with you. I can't put your life in danger," the husband said with a gentle smile on his face while he coughed blood.
"No! I don't want you leaving my sight. If I'm gonna die either way, I would rather die with you," she cried as she tried to stop her husband.
But, his husband didn't stop.
This was happening in the neighboring house of Toshi.
Not just this house but the same thing was going around the entire city.
It was evening. Raiden and Toshi sat on the wooden platform in the backyards.
"So, where do we even go next?" Raiden asked.
"To check on Makie's parents probably or maybe yours."
"Don't think there is a point in going to check on mine. They never picked up. I don't think they survived."
"I see."
"What about your mother, Toshi?"
"You know she lives in Shinjuku. First, we gotta escape Shibuya then we can head there."
"Yeah, that work."
"Hey! Raiden!"
"Yeah?"
"My old man had my mom's photo with him. Why?"
"Ahh, I don't know. Maybe because he misses her? Or he had some trip of guilt."
"Maybe... Maybe he wasn't that bad of a person...…. Shit. Why am I realizing it when it's the damn end?"
"It's good. End or not. At least you realized."
The gates far behind them burst open up and a guy stumbled over to the ground. It was Toshi's father that came out of his room. He wasn't in good condition. He walked stumbling over the ground.
Raiden and Toshi came to his aid quickly. With all the sounds he made, even Makie came over to check what was happening.
"Hey! what are you doing? Go to your bed," Toshi spoke up as he tried to stop his father.
"Stop it, Uncle," Raiden tried to stop him too.
But all of their efforts were in vain as Toshi's father did not stop however pressure they applied.
He pushed them away and made his way to a room. It was the room of his wife, Toshi's mother.
He went in and all 3 of them followed him inside. There he stood against the wall where on the wall a photo of Toshi's mother was hung and below that photo, a long and big katana hanged. He went and grabbed the katana and turned around.
He sat down on the floor in Japanese style.
"Toshi, come and sit here," he ordered as blood came out of his mouth.
"Stop all of this! You are coughing blood," Toshi shouted in anger.
"TOSHI!" His father shouted even more louder.
His father's voice carried too much pressure that Toshi could not disobey him and he sat in front of his father on the ground.
"I was not a good father nor I was a good husband but what I never stopped being was a Samurai. I can say with pride that I was a Samurai. And, I want you to inherit what's left of me. This year-old Katana, going down from our generation to generation. You are now its holder."
His father handed the Katana over to Toshi.
Toshi accepted it with both his hands.
He looked up into his father's eyes and asked, "Are you sure?"
"Take good care of it."
Toshi accepted it wholeheartedly and understood the responsibility and meaning behind it.
"Now leave. All of you. Go as far away from this city as you can. Leave!"
Toshi stood up.
"But- we can't just leave you here," Makie interrupted.
"Makie!" Toshi shouted.
He didn't say anything else but it was good enough to silence Makie.
A samurai doesn't need someone's pity that's why Toshi didn't want Makie to say any more of that.
Raiden bowed down toward Toshi's father to show his gratitude and a final farewell.
Both Raiden and Makie went out of the room to let the father and son share the final words with one another.
Toshi walked out of the room with the Katana in his hands and held the door to close it once in for all.
"You were really a great Samurai, Father!"
Toshi closed the door on his father with his final words for him.
"So, you finally called me father."
The darkness fell upon Toshi's father with a little glimpse of a smile on his face.
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