A Strange New World (Saiouma Post-Apocalyptic AU)

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oh would you look at that i decided to actually start this story how interesting

welp, trainwreck time!

Shuichi placed a trembling hand on the interior knob of the hallway closet door, pushing it open just enough for him to see the outer hallway.

He peeked out cautiously, not noticing any movement or hearing any strange noises but not wanting to take that chance. However, he was well aware he had to get out as soon as he could. For all he knew, they would be coming back, and whatever horrific call in a language only they understood that had drawn them away could have been only a temporary distraction. He forced himself to move, slowly climbing out of the closet.

A nausea-inducing odor of iron assaulted his nose as he stepped into the main room, knowing what he was going to see there, but wanting to think that he was just being dramatic.

The image that greeted him was the friends and family he had spent six months locked away with in their safehouse, lying scattered on the ground, half-eaten and torn into pieces, their blood soaking the beige carpet with dark puddles.

A numb, icy sensation spread over his entire body and froze him in his tracks, rendering him immoblile. He couldn't talk. Couldn't move. Couldn't scream. He could only let out a horrified and breathless sound similar to that of a helpless mouse cornered by a snake, its head raised and its sharp fangs dripping with venom and seconds away from being sunk into its body.

They had lied to him. They had told him things were getting better by day, that those... whatever they were that had invaded their world were being killed off and would soon be driven to extinction, that the world would be theirs again. They had kept him locked in that makeshift sanctuary, the windows boarded up and the doors bolted, not allowed to leave under any circumstances.

He had spent four months straight in there. All the others that were apparently not worthy of the knowledge had stopped counting, but he never had. They had refused to tell him anything, which he did not appreciate. It only left him to speculate, and with a mind like his that ached for the truth, it only made him feel more anxious and miserable.

But he had tried to push aside his supsicions and believe that what they told him was true. Blind hope, he supposed. But that hope had been starting to fray at the edges, slowly being eaten away, because you can't keep a lie alive forever. It dies eventually, and then the truth will come to light. 

One of those things tore it's way through the wall, finding them, letting out a howling shriek that called more of it's kind to come and attack. He had barely managed to squeeze himself into a hallway closet to hide before they began their massacre. No one stood a chance. They tried to fight back, but there was only so much human strength could do against them, especially that many.

They were utterly, undeniably dead. There was no question about it, no need to check their circulation, no need to provide medical assistance. Most of them were torn in half, had chunks bitten out of them, or had limbs ripped off like some poor, unfortunate barbie dolls who had landed in the ownership of a sadistic and careless child. 

All of them were utterly mutilated and beyond any hope of possibly being alive. The sight was grotesque and horrifically gory, and he knew he would carry it with him for the rest of his life.

As he silently stood there, observing the bodies of his dead family, the question rose. What now? He had barely gotten out with his life- one of those things had been stalking around after the main attack and had almost ripped its way into the closet he was in before another howl rang out and sent it running- and now he was alone.

He knew that any hope of the world being anywhere near easy to survive in was gone. Those things still ran rampant, and it was really only a matter of time before they ravaged the base. He knew nothing about the world he had been thrust into, and he doubted the basic survival skills he possessed would do him much.