Undead Human

Misfortune

Things had been rather peaceful at the forest. The rain had stopped. The rays of the morning sun was visible while enlightening the wet leaves. Mayuko was already awake. However, Chino was not. She looked down at Chino's silent face. It seemed as if she was having a bad dream as she had a worried expression. She gently stroke her head. That's when she found out... that Chino had a terrible fever.

For a moment, her mind went blank. They were all alone in a forest, filled with ferocious creatures. Looking for food was hard enough; and now, Chino's fever. It seemed almost impossible. But, she did not want to give up.

She teared a part from her long black dress and tied Chino to her strongly so that she wouldn't fall down and managed to carry her on her back. They started moving towards a river she knew had existed before. It was muddy all around. Her clothes got all dirty but, she didn't mind at all. After taking some twists and turns, she had finally reached her destination. It looked like luck was on their side. 'Luck'; what a strong yet scary word it seemed. It managed to put Mayuko in the pits of hell as well as show her some rays of hope. She had never been a fan of it.

The river had still flown. The water seemed a bit dirty, though. So, she had to purify it before using. And, without further ado, she did so. She remembered some techniques from her days in the past in the village. It's been quite a long time ago, but it was coming in handy. While the water was being purified, she started to gather foods and firewoods in case they had to spend another night at the forest.

While doing so, they got attacked by a pack of hungry wolves. Seeing them reminded Mayuko of herself. Human or not, they were all just mere lives, longing to exist for the longest time possible. Having being included in the food chain, she did what she had to do. With her proficiency in assassinating and murdering, it was rather easy for her to defend both herself and Chino. She managed to kill some of them. The rest fled away. The ones she hunted would be their dinner. Live example of a very true rule of mother nature.

She started to drag the dead body with her. It was rather exhausting as she had been hungry since last night. Well, so was Chino. So, she had to make sure that she gathered something nutritious and right for her as she was sick.

Finally, she managed to gather some wild fruits which she knew was edible. Judging by the position of the sun, it was already noon. She collected the purified water she had left by the river and hurried to the cave.

It was late afternoon.

They had reached their cave. Mayuko gently put Chino down by the fire she had just lighted.

"Chino, drink this." She said quietly, holding the pot of water. Chino slowly opened her eyes. She was breathing hard and her face seemed flushed. It seemed as if she had no strength to get up. Mayuko helped her up and had her drink steadily. She felt relief as Chino was able to drink it whole.

"Will you be able to eat this?" She asked holding a stick of pieces of meat she had put close to the fire all those time. She made sure to make Chino's share as tempting and delicious as possible, given that the fever could cause her a loss of appetite.

She quietly nodded and opened her mouth to have a bite. And so, she slowly fed her.

"Do you need me to chew it for you?" Mayuko said out of concern.

"N-no... It's fine..." She replied. She sounded as if she had been drunk.

She slowly ate her share and took rest as before while Mayuko wiped her body with wet clothes to cool her down. After that, she just kept watch. Soon, it was evening. She kept her eyes and ears sharper since the wild creatures tend to stay more active in the dark. She was prepared for a sleepless night.

Suddenly, she heard a peculiar sound coming from the bushes. It wasn't of any creature. Perhaps, Chino had heard that sound, too, though she seemed to have been asleep. Mayuko stepped outside of the cave, keeping their distance at minimum. But then, suddenly...

She collapsed. She lost command over her body. While she was still barely conscious, she could've sworn that she had heard Chino's voice, trying to wake her up. Then, she felt multiple footsteps approaching both of them.

She wanted to tell her to run away. But, unfortunately she couldn't control her mouth with sheer willpower. And, of course, telling her to run away wouldn't have done anything. Chino would still have stood in front of her with her frail little legs and would still have tried to protect her from the ones approaching.

Then, it all went black.