The moment was perfect. It was a beautiful day, any sign of danger was far enough to no longer be considered a problem, and a certain redhead had just finished 'reuniting' with the woman he loves. As of right now, the redhead in question was watching everyone have fun at the beach.
Minato Kasaki, seventeen years old. An average high school student with a slight temper, tends to be sarcastic when annoyed, and doesn't hesitate to put up a fight when the moment demands it. One day, he was just attending his high school, Fujimi Academy, but then he started to experience a catastrophe that would change everything. The dead began walking the earth and attacking people, turning them into walking corpses. The simple way to describe it would be a zombie apocalypse, and Minato was forced to survive by relying on his instincts. With other survivors that he was proud to call his friends, and three of them were lovers, Minato and his group went through a lot before finding themselves at this beautiful, isolated island.
Zombies overcame the school and killed hundreds of students and staff. they did end up escaping in the end, but they were forced to ditch their vehicle and approach their new objective on foot. After spending a few hours in a safe place, Minato and his friends found a small girl who needed help, crossed a river, reunited with a member of the group's family, and the estate they were staying at became a warzone. The group escaped the estate, but Minato stayed behind in order to keep a promise he made with the woman he loved, who was known as the school nurse, Shizuka Marikawa.
Minato found the person Shizuka wanted him to find, and he, as well as the two women he was travelling with, searched outside of Tokonosu City until they found a shopping mall. After defeating a corrupt teacher that Minato held a grudge against for many reasons, he and the women he was with made their way to the island, where the rest of his friends were located. Minato went through a lot before arriving at this island, he even killed his own parents. His mother had turned into one of the undead, and his father was the reason why.
Shizuka, Saeko, Takashi, Saya, Rei, Kota, Alice, Yuriko, and Rika. He survived this long thanks to the people he considered family. While watching them enjoy themselves at the beach, Minato decided to get changed into his regular clothes and search around this island, he just wanted to make absolutely sure that everyone was safe. Even on an island, the undead can come out of nowhere.
He wore black biker gloves, black sweatpants, a red t-shirt, a black jumper with the inside of the hoodie being red, and a necklace with a cross around his neck. His weapons consisted of a crossbow that was strapped to his back, a survival knife that was in a bottomless pocket he made, an MM9 pistol in his waistband, and a machete that he took from his father's shed before leaving his family home.
Minato: 'I never thought we'd make it out alive, but here we are. I'm pretty sure that these undead fuckers can't swim, but there's no harm in making sure. The last thing we want is to get attacked when we least expect it.' The island he and his friends were at consisted of a beach house, which was located on the beach. It was the only building on the island, but this island was mostly covered by a small forest. There could be anything in there, and Minato wanted to check it out. But unfortunately, once he was deep in the forest... Minato started to feel dizzy. "Huh? That's... weird."
Too dizzy to stand, Minato fell to his hands and knees. While trying to regain his composure, Minato saw that his surroundings were vibrating. At first, he thought he was experiencing an earthquake, but nothing around him looked like it was being affected. A massive earthquake usually makes structures shake and collapse, it could even make trees fall over. But this strange earthquake wasn't destroying the scenery around Minato. He didn't have a lot of time to think about it before he felt nothing beneath his feet, and then... he started to fall. Minato had no idea what was going on, but his falling only lasted a few seconds. Sadly, Minato ended up hitting something on his way down, and it wasn't soft in the slightest.
Minato: "Ugh... fuck my life." For reasons he can't yet explain, Minato felt something wet beneath him. He thought he landed in water, and he was technically right, but it wasn't clean water. Once he was able to stand up again, he saw that he was standing in sewer water. "Ugh, disgusting!" He voiced his frustration while he looked up, seeing a ladder that led somewhere. If he landed in sewer water, then he must be underground, but more specifically, the sewers. At the top of the ladder, Minato could see an open manhole. "Did I seriously fall from there? Wait a minute... where the fuck am I!?"
One minute, Minato was looking around the forest area on the island he and his friends were staying at, and the next, he fell through a manhole and landed in the sewers. At the very least, his dizziness was no longer present. With some new and strange scenery, Minato had no choice but to investigate. With his pistol and machete at the ready, Minato decided to search the sewers. It would've been common sense to just leave the sewers through the manhole, but Minato thought that there was a reason why he was here. He couldn't explain why he was here, but searching his surroundings would be a great start.
It did disgust him to be walking through sewer water, but he didn't really have a choice. Most sewers would have walkways on the sides of the tunnels, but this one didn't. During his search, Minato couldn't help but notice that there was some debris in the sewers. There was also some massive holes in the ceiling, those holes gave Minato a small visual of the sky. Once he saw that the sky wasn't blue, he first thought that a few hours had passed, he even thought that he was back in Tokonosu City. But his brain refused to acknowledge that scenario.
Minato: 'Okay, calm down. You can figure this out. What happened before I was here? I was looking around in the forest, and then I felt dizzy. Then everything around me started shaking, I didn't feel anything beneath my feet, and that's when I was falling. But why? None of this makes any sense. Did I teleport? What the fuck am I thinking? That isn't possible.'
===========Timeskip===========
Minato: "Are you kidding me!?" Now he was annoyed. Minato had spent the last thirty minutes searching the sewers, and he was now standing under the same manhole he found himself at when he first arrived here. He searched as much as he could and found nothing, looks like he just fell here by coincidence. "Okay, so maybe I wasn't sent here for a reason. Maybe... it was just unlucky?"
With no other option available at the moment, Minato grabbed the tiers of the ladder and began climbing towards the manhole. The manhole cover wasn't there, so he didn't need to move anything heavy in order to reach the surface. Once he was no longer within the vicinity of human waste, Minato looked around and found himself in a city. Similar to Tokonosu City, this city has gone to hell. But Minato knew Tokonosu... and he wasn't there.
Minato: "This... is insane. What is this place? Why am I here? And what brought me here?" Minato's head was riddled with questions, he was even starting to panic. Suddenly, he set his sights on a small restaurant located on the end of the street he was standing in. If he could find someone, maybe they could tell him what's going on. With that in mind, Minato began walking towards the restaurant. 'Even if I don't find someone, I might find some food. I can't really comprehend this whole situation on an empty stomach.'
As Minato got closer to the restaurant, he noticed that it was actually a small diner. He cautiously opened the door and entered the small building while still holding his machete close to him. At first glance, the diner itself looked like it was kept together pretty well. There was minimal damage to the walls and tables, and all the lights were working without showing any signs of flickering. Minato wanted to check the kitchen for anything to eat, but he was stopped when someone popped up from the other side of the main counter.
Teruteru (Remnant): "Hello, friendly customer! Welcome to the Hanamura Diner! My name's Teruteru Hanamura, and I'll be the one serving you today." This guy's sudden appearance didn't surprise Minato at all, he had a feeling that someone was keeping this place in good condition once he looked around.
Minato: "Um... okay?"
Teruteru (Remnant): "Hmm, I don't recall meeting you before. You must be new around these parts."
Minato: "Well, yeah. I guess that's one way of putting it. By the way, not that it's a problem, but I couldn't help but notice your accent."
Teruteru (Remnant): "Ooh, are you curious? I was born in West Azabu and raised in South Aoyama."
Minato: "Sorry if that's rude, I just never once met someone from those places."
Teruteru (Remnant): "Aw, that's quite all right. Most people never guess correctly when they try to figure out where I'm from. Anyway, you look hungry."
Minato: "Well, you're not wrong. Um... what exactly can I get for... free?"
Teruteru (Remnant): "..."
Minato: "Sorry, I just haven't... bought anything in a long time."
Teruteru (Remnant): "Well, you should know that the happiness of my patrons is all I really want. So just this once, I'm willing to ignore the price."
Minato: "S-Seriously? I mean, I don't want to insult you in any way."
Teruteru (Remnant): "No, it's fine. You seem like a nice guy, and I wouldn't want you to starve as you try to navigate through the city while it's like this." As this chubby guy went into the kitchen to cook something for Minato, the redhead believed that this diner owner knew a thing or two about where they were.
Minato: "Hey... do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" There was a small window that Minato could see through from his seating position at the counter, most diners and small restaurants have a small window in-between the counter and the kitchen, you could see the cooks do their job through this window.
Teruteru (Remnant): "Sure, what would you like to know?"
Minato: "Can you tell me where I am exactly?"
Teruteru (Remnant): "You mean this city? Well, I'm not sure why you're asking that, but we're in Towa City." Towa City? Minato has never heard of a city like that. But based on this owner's appearance, Minato had to assume that he was still in Japan. "Let me ask you a question. I haven't got your name yet. You mind telling me?"
Minato: "It's Minato Kasaki, it's nice to formally meet you."
Teruteru (Remnant): "It's nice to formally meet you too." Teruteru seemed like a nice guy, but Minato couldn't help but feel anxious for some reason.
Minato: "Do you have any idea what happened to this city?" What Minato couldn't see what the face Teruteru was making, it showed that he was thinking about something. He concluded that Minato wasn't a resident of Towa City, because if he was, he would know what happened to the city. In fact, Minato's expression showed nothing but confusion and concern. He was clearly new to the scenery, and that alone was enough to raise some red flags. What Minato failed to understand was that Teruteru isn't one to simply talk about what bothers him... he prefers a more hands-on approach.
Teruteru (Remnant): "Oh, I know exactly what happened to this city."
Minato: "Can you tell me?"
Teruteru (Remnant): "This city's destruction was the beginning of the end. It's not just Towa City, the entire world ended up looking like this. So many people have died since this started, and I doubt that number will decrease anytime soon. After all, the ones responsible are way too dangerous to take down alone."
Minato: "The ones responsible? And you said the rest of the world looks like this city? What the hell happened? Is all this the work of some kind of cult?" Although he was asking about the people who caused this disaster, Minato was secretly trying to prevent freaking out after hearing that the rest of the world was similar to Towa City.
Teruteru (Remnant): "I guess you could say that. The biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history. Something that started at a school, and it ended with the entire world feeling despair because of it."
Minato: "If what you're saying is true, then that's fucked up." He was having a really hard time trying to comprehend what Teruteru just said. Not only that, but Teruteru's attitude indicated that he wasn't really bothered by what's going on around him. While deep in thought, Teruteru was back behind the counter, now presenting the food he made for Minato.
Teruteru (Remnant): "Fresh sukiyaki."
Minato: "Whoa! That looks really good!"
Teruteru (Remnant): "Thank you. It's nice to hear approval from my customers. But then again, it's not like they've ever complained about my cooking."
Minato: "Seriously? Not even once?" He took his time in eating the food Teruteru made for him, and he was enjoying every second of it. But even while eating and talking, Minato refused to let Teruteru leave his sight.
Teruteru (Remnant): "Not even one. I can't exactly go into detail about what this city has turned into, but when the chance of death increases to unimaginable heights, you either adapt... or you perish. This world won't go easy on you, and neither will the people living here. I'm gonna go get some supplies for you, mostly a map. I always keep that stuff in the backroom. Once you're done, I strongly suggest you find a safe place to lay low for a while."
Minato: "Um... okay?" With a smile, Teruteru left the counter and proceeded to leave Minato on his own. He really wanted to believe everything Teruteru said since he entered the diner, but his inner voice just kept telling Minato to not trust him. 'Dammit, why can't I get over this? He seems nice, but maybe... he's just putting on a facade.' He didn't want to admit it, but Teruteru was giving off a very hostile vibe.
Refusing to go away, Minato's inner voice demanded that he took action and look around this diner. With no other way to shut it up, Minato stopped eating his sukiyaki and stood up. Walking past the counter, Minato found himself in the kitchen. Just from one simply look, he didn't see anything suspicious. But then... a strange scent made its way into Minato's nostrils.
Minato: 'Ugh, what the fuck is that!?' The scent was disgusting, and it made him want to cover his nose. Something that smells that bad shouldn't be in a kitchen of all places, so Minato decided to follow his nose until he arrived at the scent's origin. His eyes were fixated on one certain kitchen appliance, the refrigerator. Slowly grabbing the handle, Minato took a deep breath before opening the fridge door. Once the door was open, Minato felt like he was about to throw up. Because what he saw inside the refrigerator... was the body of a small child. "Oh... fuck."
Teruteru (Remnant): "You shouldn't've done that." Turning around as quick as he could, Minato saw Teruteru standing on the other side of the room. What Minato didn't know what that the body of the small child actually belonged to Masaru Daimon, a member of the Warriors of Hope. But the only thing Minato focused on was the cook standing in front of him, and worse of all, Teruteru was carrying a big meat cleaver. "That's a shame, I was actually starting to like you. But then you had to go snooping around, and you found my dinner."
Minato: "Your... dinner!? Are you fucking nuts!?"
Teruteru (Remnant): "I told you that in this city, you have to adapt... or you perish. Just so you know, I was actually going to give you a head start, but since you discovered what my ingredients are... I'm afraid that I have to put you down right now."
Minato: "Wait, ingredients? You cook with human meat!? Don't tell me you-"
Teruteru (Remnant): "Don't worry, I didn't do anything bad to your sukiyaki. It's actually how I do things. I find survivors, I feed them to gain their trust, and then... well, I bet you can guess what comes next." Teruteru was smiling as he spoke, and his smile made Minato start to sweat. Not just that, but Teruteru's eyes were menacing as well. His pupils weren't even visible anymore, it was terrifying to witness. It was as if layers upon layers of darkness were folding into each other.
Minato: "...You're no different than a zombie." Minato said that under his breath, it wasn't loud enough for Teruteru to hear it.
Teruteru (Remnant): "Hmm? Did you say something?"
Minato: "I had a weird feeling about you once you started talking about this city, and now... I have a reason to-" Minato's sentence was interrupted when a small knife was thrown at him, he acted quickly and moved out of the way before it could impale his shoulder. Teruteru smiled as he ran towards Minato with his meat cleaver in his right hand. What Minato was trying to say was that Teruteru had just given him a reason to kill him, but it's clear that Teruteru isn't gonna just let Minato take his life without a fight.
Teruteru (Remnant): "I knew you were suspicious the moment you didn't know about this city. No one I've met before you didn't know about the event that destroyed this place, and that alone was enough to suspect you. You must be one of those who showed up out of nowhere."
Minato: "Showed up out of nowhere? I'm not the only one?" Even while talking, Minato was doing everything he could to prevent Teruteru's attacks from landing. He might not be fast, but Teruteru was still dangerous. Minato knew better than to underestimate him right now.
Teruteru (Remnant): "Oh well, not like it matters. Once you're dead, I'll let the others know about your sudden appearance." Teruteru brought his meat cleaver down on Minato, but he was able to block it with his machete. It became a test of strength, and it looked like Minato was about to lose. "Tell me, do you prefer a quick death, or a slow one? Because I'm pretty good at slow deaths."
Minato: "It's gonna take more than a fat, cannibalistic cook to kill me."
Teruteru (Remnant): "Call me chef." Minato was actually considered going low, but Teruteru beat him to it. With a knee to the groin, Teruteru was able to get Minato to fall on the kitchen floor. As he smiled, Teruteru was about to start giving Minato some very painful injuries, he wants to make sure that his victim couldn't escape. "Again, I just wanted to say that I did like you. I honestly don't want to kill you... but I can't just let you escape."
Minato: "It's all good... I'd do the same if I were you." Minato was lying on his stomach while still talking to Teruteru. Not just that, but he was also concealing his machete.
Teruteru (Remnant): "I have to admit, you're not that bad of a fighter. You act like you've been through situations like this before."
Minato: "...That's because I have." Taking Teruteru by surprise, Minato slashed Teruteru's stomach as he rolled over to his back. With his eyes now wide from the sudden pain, Teruteru fell backwards and held the kitchen counter behind him, trying to regain his balance.
Teruteru (Remnant): "Hehe... I never thought... I would die like this. I suppose... I deserve this."
Minato: "Yeah, you definitely do." As Minato stood up again, he watched as blood and entrails began pouring out of Teruteru's stomach. He was in a lot of pain... but he didn't show it.
Teruteru (Remnant): "When the others hear about this... they'll come for you."
Minato: "Well, bring it on. I've dealt with far worse where I'm from, and some crazy cult members won't be much of a challenge if they're just like you."
Teruteru (Remnant): "Hahahaha.... good luck, because you're gonna need it. Izuru won't be merciful like I was about to be, so you better hope he doesn't catch you." Not wanting to hear more of his bullshit, Minato took his machete and stabbed Teruteru in the neck. He watched as his body fell on the kitchen floor, but he also tried to take in Teruteru's last words.
Minato: "Izuru... maybe that's who brought me here. Whatever, I guess I need to deal with that dipshit in order to get home."
===========Timeskip===========
After leaving the Hanamura Diner, Minato was forced to endure a city where fires and debris was considered the norm. Tokonosu City was bad enough, especially with the undead walking around, but Towa City looked like a nuke had gone off.
It has officially been five minutes since Minato was forced to kill Teruteru Hanamura and leave the diner, and he couldn't help but think about that small child in the refrigerator. If Teruteru had no problem killing someone so young, then this group Teruteru was a part of is clearly beyond redemption. Luckily for Minato, killing bad people came naturally to him.
While walking around, Minato noticed two people in the distance. One of them had red hair like him, and the other person was blonde. Both of them were girls, but that doesn't mean they aren't dangerous like Teruteru was. It looked like these girls were following someone, and that was proven when Minato was able to see them looking at a group of four people. While keeping his distance, Minato could see the group of four people heading into the subway, and these two girls were going the same way.
Minato: 'Even though it was only a few seconds... I could see the look in their eyes. It's the same way Teruteru was before he attacked me. If these girls are anything like him, then those people are in trouble.' He didn't know if this was a good idea, but he couldn't just let a group of possibly innocent people die.
Minato made sure to watch as these two girls walked down the stairs leading into the subway, and once they were out of sight, he slowly followed them underground. It didn't take long to find these girls again, but when he saw them approach the four survivors, their demeanour changed very quickly.
Minato: 'Geez, what the hell is wrong with these bitches!?' He stood behind a pillar as he eavesdropped on what these girls were talking about. They basically said that there was no way out of Towa City, and they were clearly planning to hurt this group. 'I need to do something. They don't look like killers, so I doubt they'll try to defend themselves with violence.' After seeing these two girls pull out some knives, Minato decided to act. He snuck up to the girl with red hair and used his machete to stab her in the back... literally.
Hiyoko (Remnant): "Time for the bloodbath to begin. Mahiru, get ready with your camera. I want some photos to-" She stopped talking once she turned around to look at her accomplice. When she saw the machete sticking out of Mahiru's chest, she started to feel nothing but rage. "W-What the hell!?" The girl with the red hair was apparently named Mahiru, but Minato clearly didn't care. "Y-You... you killed her? Who the hell are you!?" Minato didn't believe that this blonde girl deserved a response, so he simply refused to give her one. "I don't know who you are, but you better-" That was all she could say before Minato aimed his MM9 pistol at this girl, and without hesitation, pulled the trigger. He landed a perfect headshot, and he watched as this girl's body fell backwards until it hit the hard ground beneath her. Without remorse, Minato had just killed two strange girls. The only excuse he had was that those girls were hostile, and he only did it to save a few innocent bystanders.
????: "...W-What?" One of the people that Minato just saved couldn't help but voice his confusion. The one who just spoke was short, and he only had one of his eyes open. "Who... are you?" He could see confusion and fear on the faces of the people he just saved, but this wasn't the time for Minato to reconsider his approach to this situation. He needed answers, and he needed them now.
Minato: "The name's Minato Kasaki, and I want someone here to explain what the fuck is going on!"