Chapter Text
Rin had never been “alive” in his own words. Well, maybe not in recent times. When there were still green, flourishing vines that would wrap around trees and structures, and the buzz of bugs while he walked near the beach with his brother, Sae. Instead, after that snowy night, Rin has slowly shut down and stopped being alive. He was alive, but didn’t act human, at least.
Rin may never understand why his brother had shoved him aside, as if he were no more than a pawn, but he would show him he was worth more than he could ever imagine. He would fight his way to the top, one way or another, and make Sae grovel at his feet. He wouldn’t stop with Sae, he would make the whole world bend to his will, and maybe kill that dirty roach as well.
Rin grimaced, his eyebrows coming together, reflecting at him through the mirror. He wasn’t protective of his brother, (he was), he just knew Sae could settle for better. Shidou Ryusei was a roach, a bug needing to be squashed. Shidou was like a parasite infecting his brother. What did Rin care? He hated Sae. If they were together, he could at least take them down at the same time. Two birds with one stone, or whatever they say.
Glaring into the mirror, teal eyes adorned with those stupid under lashes that were so familiar looked back at him. Quickly turning on his heel, he walked down the stairs of the house that was so empty it felt full. The living room TV gave the illusion of a full home, the typical rants about global warming and disease being discussed on whatever news channel his mother had left on. “ Sir, with all due respect, the impact we’ve had on the environment has even affected the worms in the soil-” “Well, if ya’ want yer’ worms so damn bad go to yer’ local fishing’ shop.” Rin half listened to the argument between a reporter and a political figure as he chewed on a banana.
The debates on TV had become more frequent. Fighting over disease management, new scientific discoveries, and the impact of the two on the climate, it was never-ending. The recent headline had been about some merge of the two, an infection to make humans more resilient to the warming earth, and about how some lab in America had fucked up and let a prototype escape the lab. Rin didn’t care; it didn’t affect him. The loose infection was no big deal, just something to scare the masses. Lost in his train of thought, the loud, blaring sound of his phone dragged him out of his mind.
Rin dumped the banana peel into the trash, quickly grabbing the remote to flick off the TV. The ringtone continued to bounce throughout the walls, souring his mood further. When it finally silenced, sending the caller to voicemail, he inhaled a deep breath of relief. Rin scrolled quickly through his notifications, making his way towards the door.
He swiftly grabbed his coat and bag from the hook before his phone began to ring again. His brows pushed together in annoyance, repositioning his bag and coat to look at his phone. As he moved to slide on his shoes, he swiped accept. “What the hell are you calling about?” “Rinn! I’ve been waiting outside for hours! Hurry up, I wanna talk about the-” He slammed his thumb down on the end call button, his annoyance furthering. Stupid Bachira, and always bugging him when he was in a rush.
Neither he nor Bachira grew up with friends. Rin had always been with his brother, and that was enough for him. Bachira, on the other hand, grew up with nothing. He would get shoved and bullied for his excitement, picked on for his imaginary friend. In a way, their loneliness is what brought them together. The comforting promise of friendship, even if Rin would never admit that’s what they were. No matter how rude Rin was, buzzing bee Bachira always returned to pester him again. Rin quickly slid his phone into his pocket, locking the door to the home as he walked out.
Rin didn’t have friends, just had this weird kid with bright yellow hair that reached out haphazardly from underneath messy brown hair. In the end, Rin knew he had a friend, as opposite as they were, he had a friend who wasn't his brother. The weird kid in question glanced up from his phone, smiling brightly. “Rin! You won’t believe it, there’s talk of people going rapid, like a dog with rabies!” He loudly exclaimed, making a claw-like hand while he bared his teeth, using the other hand to shove the phone in Rin's face.
“Lukewarm. It probably is rabies, Bachira.” Rin lightly pushed the device out of his face. So what if it reminded Rin of the news this morning? That was just the media trying to scare him. He quickly shook the thought away, begrudgingly returning his attention to Bachira. The boy frowned slightly before shoving his phone into his pocket. “But Rin- just imagine if it was more!” Rin pondered before realizing he was entertaining idiotic thoughts; it was just rabies and news outlets looking for attention. They had to make a living, he supposed.
The rest of the walk to school was peaceful, as peaceful as it could be with Bachira talking a hundred miles per hour in his ear. By the time he finally got rid of the talkative bee, it was already time for class. Something that would take all his brain capacity to not throw all his books at the lukewarm professor, melancholy talking. When he slipped into his seat, his mind was sending off alarms that something was gonna go wrong. Rin knew it was just Bachira’s crazy talk messing with him, and the stupid news. Really, why does he even leave it on every day? He could just check the weather on his phone. Maybe it was habit, or a need for structure, who knows? Either way, he was positive each day with Bachira driving him closer to insanity.
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During his English period, Rin spent it zoned out, watching the courtyard. It's not like he needed to pay attention; he was already proficient in the foreign language. Today, it just so happened that he could see the owl's nest, where the mother was feeding her offspring. Technically, Rin was still studying something, but it just happened to not be English.
As the teacher continued his lecture about different verbs, a loud bang sounded from the classroom door. It had sounded as if someone had been shoved into it. The door rattled, trying to hold the weight of whatever had bumped into it. The loud noise jolted the classroom, causing everyone to lose focus on the lecture. Rin glanced up, displaying a sour expression, his eyes squinting in disdain.
“Whoever is interrupting…” The teacher had grumbled, walking out into the hall to check what had been the cause of the loud noise. Taking the chance to glance at his phone, he scrolled through the array of notifications. News networks talking about “zombies” and random notifications from apps he didn’t care for. Before Rin clicked his phone off, he noticed a message from his brother. He was about to swipe it away until he re-read it.
Sae
Go home. Ryuusei and I are on our way. I'll explain later.
11:03 a.m.
Rin hardly listened to Sae anymore, ignoring most texts or calls. But his brother being this demanding? It was out of character. A shiver ran down his spine, leaving a feeling of unease resting in his bones. He gripped his phone tightly, his thoughts interrupted by a curt scream. Rin rose to his feet quickly, while a couple of his classmates did the same. The only difference is that they ran to help with the commotion, he grabbed his bag, and used the distraction in the hall to slip out unnoticed.
Why would Sae, of all people, text him? It couldn’t be because of that stupid rabies thing, right? His face creased in concentration as he hit the call button. While he hated Sae and swore to destroy him, he was still concerned about why his brother would be so abrupt like this. The phone rang once, then twice, before it clicked, signaling the call's connection.
“Fuck- Rin, this isn’t a good time-” Sae spat out, his breathing a little labored as if he had been running. “What's with the lukewarm message?” He bitterly spat out at the phone as if it were Sae himself. Rin glanced up, seeing a fight of sorts at the end of the hall, with people screaming and blood being splattered. Must have been brutal, Sae’s voice dragged his attention back as he made his way down the stairs. “Just listen for once- Get home quick. Lock-” A siren wailed in the background as someone tried to talk to Sae. “Where the hell are you- What’s going on?” Someone shoved their way past Rin, their feet thumping against the stairs in a rhythm. Finally, outside, Rin could attempt to hear his brother, “Rin? Rin, answer me-”
“I’m here, just a- ” A blood-curdling scream rang out from the school yard, making Rin whip his head around. “Rin. Go home. Check the news- It’s already spread- Ryusei, look out-” the line disconnected, leaving Rin alone and uneasy. He fastened his pace towards his house, nearing a main road. When he went to cross, a man came sprinting out of a store, tackling Rin to the ground.
“What the fuck- Get off you lukewarm bastard-” He pushed the man far enough away, where his teeth couldn't gash at him. As he wrestled with the middle-aged man, he got a closer look at him. His skin was pale and translucent, making his veins seem like they were almost glowing under his skin. A deep oozing mark on his exposed forearm that looked like he had been bitten by something, and his body was covered in sweat, making it look like he had gone for a swim. Rin shoved the man harshly, wincing at the crack that sounded when the man landed on his wrist. Despite the crunch of something breaking, the man continued his pursuit. He glanced around, swiftly grabbing a stray pipe that rested on the curb, swinging it at the man's head. Rin attempted to ignore the sound of the man's skull cracking from the force and the feeling of warm blood that felt like acid to his skin. He scrambled to his feet, feeling his heart pump hard in his chest, as if it was clawing for freedom. Trying to forget the horrid act and the way the man's body fell limp against the pavement, he ran the rest of the way home. The house that had felt so suffocating before called for Rin.
He jammed his key into the door, wrestling with the door to unlock before finally swinging it open. Rin slammed the door shut before falling to the floor, exhaustion creeping up on him. However, he couldn’t sleep; he could have just killed that man. The blood of that man still clung to his skin like a hungry parasite, the memory replaying in his head. A small voice in the back of his head cried for his brother, and if it was before that night, he probably would have called him. Instead, he picked up his phone and opened the news app, unconsciously doing as Sae had said. He spent the next few hours scrolling through news articles.
ZOMBIES HAVE TAKEN OVER JAPAN
Today 35k views
A new virus has struck Japan, quickly spreading to turn friends and family into flesh-eating beasts.
(READ MORE)
PRIME MINISTER GIVES UP ON JAPAN
Today 78k views
In the latest interview, the Prime Minister states, “It is everyone for themselves, kill those scary bastards. I am not your leader anymore, but a man trying to survive these beats.”
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Rin clicked his phone off, glancing up to realize the sun had set. He rose to his feet, moving to the shower to rinse the blood off his skin. The bathroom door shut with a sharp click, the noise echoing through the empty house. The mirror that had terrorized him this morning struck again, reflecting the image of the violent act he committed just hours ago. He peeled his uniform off, letting it clumsily drop to the floor. He further inspected himself in the mirror, looking at the dark bruise that was blooming on his shoulder and the blood splattered on his pale skin. He took in the marks for a few breaths before turning the shower on to a burning hot temperature and stepping in. The feeling of ice-cold water turning into hot drops striking his body kept him in reality. Zombies were real, and Bachira wasn’t crazy. Fuck- Bachira. While he hated to admit it and would deny it if anyone asked, Bachira truly was his friend. His only friend.
Rin scrubbed the blood off his skin until the area turned raw and red. No matter how hard he scrubbed or how much soap he used, he felt the sin of death blanketing him. He lathered his shampoo on his scalp, the scent of eucalyptus filling the steamy bathroom. He rinsed the soap from his head, running conditioner through his dark hair. After he rinsed it out, he sat in the shower pondering the uncertain future. Rin swiftly shut the shower off, hastily getting dressed. He needed to know if Bachira was ok- if he was even alive. He sat on his bed, clutching his phone in his grip. Quickly typing out a message.
Itoshi Rin —---> Bachira Meguru
Rin
Lukewarm, are you safe?
Delivered 10:15 pm
Rin
Look, just answer soon.
Delivered 10:24 pm
Rin plugged his phone in, quickly barricading his door. If the future were zombies, this was likely the final time he would be able to sleep comfortably. Even then, could he even really peacefully sleep now? What if one of the creatures? Zombies? Monsters? Broke in and murdered him as he slept. As he lay in the dark of his room, hearing the sirens echo through the streets, the feeling of guilt overwhelmed him. How could he forget about Bachira like that? While he was annoying, he was still the only friend Rin had ever known. When exhaustion overcame him, all he could think was that he should have been nicer to Bachira; now he doesn't know if he's alive, and if he would ever see the buzzy bee again.