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Setsuna has been walking for days now. She adjusted the adventure backpack on her back, before continuing her journey through the vast savanna once again. She was tasked to locate a village from the east side of the base but she didn't expect a village would be this far. Setsuna looked up at the sky, seeing the sun was at its peak. Six more hours. She hoped to find the village before the monsters lurk out of the dark.
Setsuna trekked a small hill, careful not to slip off and possibly push back her journey any further. She just wanted to find this village and get a nice relaxing bath after all of this. She finally reached the top, she looked around the area, looking for something - anything that resembles a village.
"Wait, is that..." Setsuna muttered. Her eyes widened when she confirmed that it was indeed a roof sticking out from the trees. She hurriedly slid down the hill, running towards the village. She ran faster and faster, already feeling the sensation of her entire body sinking in warm water. As she neared the village, her hopes were slowly crushed as she caught sight of the cobwebs and broken walls of one of the houses at the edge of the village.
She sighed. An abandoned village. As soon as the realization hit that she would be neither sleeping on a comfy bed or having a full-body bath, her stomach complained for food and her throat angrily asked for water. However, as she started to walk away to find a safe place to rest, she remembered the cautious warnings Shizuku had given her before she left their base,
"Whatever you do, avoid abandoned villages at all cost. They're filled with nothing but people who were fighting Death himself, refusing to rest on the ground like they should be and in their agony, would drag others to the dirt who were different from them."
A strange rustle from the woods behind her broke Setsuna out of her reverie. She quickly turned her head around, her hand ghosting over the hilt of her sword. Her trained eyes scanned the area, squinting.
But there was nothing. It was just her and the wilderness. Setsuna's tense shoulders relaxed. She looked up at the sky. Two more hours. She should start travelling--
A pig's screams resonated around the plains, accompanied by growling and gurgling. From afar, Setsuna could see a mob of humans running around the village but if you ask Setsuna, she wouldn't call them humans at all. Their skin were abnormally purplish green in color, parts of their flesh were rotting - creating a mess of hideous wounds all over their body-, and their faces were all misshaped in some way or form. As she stood in the distance with fear, she remembered Kasumi's follow-up from Shizuku's poetic warning.
"Basically, abandoned villages are plagued with zombies."
Setsuna's entire body was trembling, not from fear-- okay maybe it was a part of it but it was mostly from the thrill. The things that she thought were just part of her fantasy were now a few blocks away from her. Her entire body was on fire, ready to fight and put an end to those undead.
Setsuna breathed in the late afternoon air and a surge of confidence ran through her body as she dashed towards the village, her hunger and thirst momentarily forgotten. The undead looked more hideous as she neared the mob. She can clearly see their yellowish wounds full of infection, their bared teeth sharper than her own, and their tattered clothes full of blood.
She took out her blade in one swift motion, cutting off an unsuspecting zombie's head. She watched as it rolled to the ground and its body slumped to the ground with a thud. The noise seemed to catch the attention of the rest of the mob, who took their mouths away from feasting on the poor pig and onto her.
Setsuna placed her sword in front of her. She took deep breaths and dashed towards the five undead who returned her action. She ducked down from the rotting hands that tried to grab her, slicing off two pairs in the process. She winced at the stinging pain on her knees, which were now bruised after she slid on the rocky ground.
The adventurer stood up as the zombies ran after her. She waited for one of them to get close before thrusting her sword in its head. As Setsuna attempted to remove her blade from the undead, the other two with no hands lunged at her and she wasted no time to duck. At the same time, she threw a dagger at one of them and stabbed her sword at the other.
Setsuna stepped back, wiping the sweat off her forehead. As she closed her eyes for a brief moment, the scenery around her changed and she was now in a familiar clubroom, standing alone. Setsuna was still in her battle gear and her sword in hand but the silence - it was unnerving.
Setsuna took a step but stopped halfway when the door suddenly slid open. She stood there, frozen, as two figures struggled to enter the room, their growling made her skin crawl. She can defeat them, if she managed to defeat the others, she can--
Setsuna lost her confidence all of a sudden, something so rare for someone like her. Her sword became heavier, her breathings became ragged, and her entire world spinned around her.
"Ayumu-san? Shioriko-san?"
No, this wasn't them. They wouldn't have purplish-green skin. They wouldn't look at her like she was nothing but prey.
"Ayumu-san, Shioriko-san, it's me! Don't you recognize me?" She yelled, managing to avoid a hand that attempted to grab her. The other two only responded with gurgles and growls. Setsuna bit her lip, a horrible idea entered her mind. She didn't want to do it but.. she had no choice. She would rather end their suffering than watch them suffer like this.
"Ayumu-san… Shioriko-san… I'm sorry…" Setsuna placed her sword in front of her, her hands trenbling from what she was about to do. Any moment now. As soon as they charged at her again she would--
--tsu..."
"Setsu!"
Setsuna's eyes slowly fluttered open and she was greeted by two familiar faces looking down at her with concern, their purplish green skin now back to how Setsuna remembered them to be.
Setsuna reached up to their cheeks, feeling the warmth of their cheeks, assuring her that they were alive and everything was just one big nightmare. Her lips tugged upwards as her hands slowly trailed down their arms back to her stomach.
"Nana, you're crying." Shioriko reached down, gently wiping her tears away with her knuckles. When did she-- Setsuna pushed the thought away as she nuzzled against Shioriko's palm, closing her eyes, and taking in all the warmth she could rob from her.
Setsuna felt the bed rise from the other side before a pressure sank the part of the bed above her head. It didn't take too long for her to figure out who it was, as a hand softly brushed her hair comfortingly, a feat only Ayumu can do to her.
"That must've been a pretty bad nightmare."
Ayumu hummed in agreement. "You were sweating and murmuring our names. Shioriko even began panicking and tried to call for an ambulance. I should've taken a video of it, it was cute."
"H-hey, I was just worried."
"Thank you Shioriko-san." Setsuna opened her eyes, smiling at Shioriko who avoided her gaze.
"We still have time to go back to sleep. Wanna snuggle together?"
Setsuna nodded, making room for Ayumu. The latter laid beside her, wrapping her arms around her waist tightly. Shioriko turned off the lamp and laid down beside the wall, adjusting her position so they would fit in Setsuna's bed. Her arms draped over Setsuna's stomach, placing her hand on top of Ayumu's.
"Good night Setsuna-chan," Ayumu brushed off Setsuna's bangs, planting a kiss on her forehead, "sweet dreams."
"Likewise, have a good sleep…" Shioriko yawned, burying her face on Setsuna's neck,"...Nana."
"Good night, you two." Setsuna closed her eyes and as she slowly went back to dreamland, her previous nightmare was forgotten and was replaced by the warmth the two offered.