災伴 (Saiban)

Chapter Eleven (Yamaguchi Tameko)

This can't be real, right? It's a nightmare... we'll just wake up and Yoshida-kun will be here, talking to Enkai and Hana-chan about manga or some weird foods they got from the conbini before it all happened, and it'll be okay again...

I'm silent as the warmth of blood begins to seep into my socks. I shut my eyes tightly. Just a dream, Tameko, just take a second and you'll wake up. I open my eyes again, faced again with the headless corpse of Orou... My throat begins to ache like I'm choking. Just a dream, just a nightmare, wake up, wake up, wake up!

I pinch my cheek.

Real.

I can see Yohei starting up the paint again, silent tears going down his face. Despite the cacophony, I can still hear the clicking noises of him attempting to start the lighter. When it fails, he tries the button again. And again. And again...

I grab an arrow from the dead Orou's hand and sprint forward before I even have time to process what I'm doing. I leap forward. The arrow is clutched tight enough in my hands for my knuckles to turn white as I land on the face of the spider. I hold the arrow high above my head before slamming it down into one of the Saiban's eyes.

Black goo splatters across my arms as the spider struggles. I pull the arrow out and slam it back in. It tries to throw me off, struggling.

"Yamaguchi-san!" Yohei yells.

I pull out again and jump back, getting out of the way. He uses a new can of spray paint and lighter to create a spray of flames, slowly getting closer to the monster. He uses one arm to cover his face. I scramble back, feeling the heat of the attack.

When he's close enough to the window, he stops the fire and slams his foot into the charred spider, barely managing the strength to push it out the window. I yank Hana up by the arm from where she's on her knees on the ground, tears in her eyes. "Bedroom!"

We evacuate to the smaller room. I begin checking Yohei and Hana for wounds.

"O-Orou-kun..." Hana whispers.

"Shh..." I hug her. "It's okay."

"H-He's gone."

"I know." It's not hard to keep pain out my voice. Maybe I'm still in shock. Maybe Haru's death numbed me. Whatever the case, it's something to hold onto. She's helped me through so many hard times, so now it's my turn. "It's okay, Hana-chan. You're safe."

She holds me close and lets herself cry. "H-He's gone. I-It's my fault, he died saving me, and..."

Yohei stares down at the floor. "He... wasn't okay. He thought that thing was a person. Even if you didn't put yourself in the way of the Saiban, he probably would've..." He sniffles a bit and turns away. "Th-there's food stores in here for a few days... we can rebuild the window after that..."

"Right," I whisper.

Hana removes a miniature notebook from her hoodie pocket and turns to a page with shaky hands. There's dozens upon dozens of names written, but only five remain clear, the others crossed out:

Tanaka Hana
Yoshida Orou
Klein Yohei
Yamagushi Tameko
Sorazawa Enkai

She takes the pen stuffed in the spiral of the notebook. She removes the cap, nearly dropping it. When she drags it across the paper, Orou's name becomes illegible.

"I-I... hope Enkai is okay..."

"They're probably safer out there than in here... the Saiban are swarming," I reassure Hana quietly, stroking her hair.

I send my first prayer in years: That I'm not lying to her face.