Chapter 1: The End of the World
Surprisingly, this is not an AU. This is a post-anime fic where Kagome never was able to return after three years. It's based on a two sentence horror story written by Frederick Brown that reads:
The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door...
I had actually already published much of this story before, but after rereading it, I saw a lot more potential in it and I also saw a lot of places that could use some editing. So here is Knock, Knock Revised!
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters. I also do not own Frederick Brown's quote.
She never really knew what happened or why. For so long, she had lived a life that had morphed itself to be the spitting image of what every girl would have wanted. She had graduated high school and worked as a waitress to make some extra cash before heading off to university. She had many friends that she held dear, coupled with a social life that would scare the hell out of hardcore introverts. She stressed over tests, boys and her appearance. Dated a bit. Dyed her hair. Did some yoga. Developed a knack for taking pictures that would get her dozens of likes on instagram. She had almost completely transformed herself into a normal teenage girl.
But she couldn't move on from him. That was her fault. She had checked the well every three days, even if it was just to take a peek. There was always some hope that it would open again, and she could travel back to the Feudal Era. The one thing she had wanted more than to be normal was go back to Inuyasha.
It had been three years since Kagome was sucked in the Shikon Jewel with Naraku and won by wishing the jewel gone forever. Her 15 year old self had conquered one of the greatest villains the rest of the world will never know of, and she had done it with her best friend beside her. And, of course, it appeared that that time in her life that had long passed would have been the greatest adventure she would ever go on. I mean, what could possibly be more intense than traveling back in time to defeat demons? The answer that she always came up with was nothing.
But that was all besides the point now. She had been 15 when she had fallen through the well, thinking that the world she new was over; 15 when she saved it. But it was not until years after her victory that she would truly see her world disappear.
She had been 18 the end had begun.
And it had been on one of the many third days in her cycle that it happened. Her mother had asked for some help with dinner, but Kagome ignored her. Souta had wanted some help with summer work, and Kagome had ignored him, too. Gramps needed assistance at the stores, and, once again, she had just walked right by. It was the well she had been looking for. Hope had managed swelled up inside of her like a balloon, and she practically floated inside of the shrine, landing a mere inches away from the Bone Eater's Well, and had broke into an excited run to it and had leaned her head in to see if she could even just sense its powers. But, like every other time, the well had proved itself useless. It had died along with the jewel she supposed, and there was no way to resurrect it. She had felt nothing but the plain atmosphere around her, the blandness that came with staring into such an ordinary, lackluster well.
But on that day, she had found herself drenched in her sadness. She had curled next to the well, pretending the outside world didn't exist, shutting her eyes so hard that it hurt. She had usually been able to pick herself up from the disappointment, but had found that she just couldn't anymore. If a weight had been lifted, it had fallen back on her, and she had felt herself wishing away the world just to have Inuyasha back. Dreariness had filled the room the same way water fills a cup, and she had made the discovery that it had been making it hard to breathe all the same.
And, after a few minutes had passed, she had sunken so low, practically flirting with insanity. Her fingers had dug into the wood of the well, and she hadn't been able to stop thinking to herself that she would never let go. Her mind had found itself on the edge of real consciousness after the lines of reality and the depths of her depression had blurred as if it had been erased. Her nails had dug deeper and deeper into it. Her quiet thoughts that had been floating like lines of text in her head had turned into screams. And those screams, after moments of uncontrollable noise had punctured the atmosphere, had turned into her repetitive whispers.
"Save me. Save me. Save me." She hadn't found herself capable of stopping the monotone murmurs as the unexplainable sorrow filled mania had taken control of her mind. It had almost been automatic.
And something peculiar had happened as she had been drowning herself in a depression induced tears and lunacy. The well doors had closed, and all the outside light had faded as the shadows covered them. The soft breeze that had been flying in to play with her dark strands and caress her soft skin had disappeared and left like it was the last bit of something real she could have clung to. She had, for a moment, felt nothing.
Kagome had heard screams. She knew she did. She had heard crashes and explosions and calls for help. And they had registered as they were in her head. And yet, her nails had only dug further into the well, and she had continued to murmur as if nothing was happening. Her eyes had remained closed, her body had pressed even harder against the wood, refusing to part from it. And she remained that way until her tears put her to sleep.
And when she had woken up, she hadn't really known why she had been so attached to the Bone Eater's Well that day. In fact, when she had risen, she had found it painfully easy to move away from it, ready to continue her day as she planned, shoving Inuyasha into the back of her mind. It had felt to her as though the frenzy she had been caught in hadn't even really happened. She had only partially remembered the loud noises she had heard from inside the shrine during her short-lived period of madness. When she opened the shrine doors, those screams and explosions didn't even seem important. She assumed they were imagined.
Kagome Higurashi learned all too soon that they weren't.
Her house had been a mess. Broken plates, drawers pulled out, clothes and furniture all around about as if a hurricane had come into her home just to cause terror and destruction. But there hadn't been a single soul in sight.
She had spent the following three days wandering the depths of the Japan. Looking for just one person. No matter who. She would have been fine with absolutely anyone.
But she never did.
All she had found was a city that looked like it was planning an evacuation. Everything had appeared to be left in a rush, making Kagome feel as though she had missed some sort of agreement among all people that they would all just drop everything and leave. Front doors had been left open. Everything unlocked. Suitcases had been left open on lawns. Cars were crashed into streetlights.
But the most nonsensical discovery had been that there were no bodies. Not dead. Not alive. Just nothing. There hadn't been a way for Kagome to know what happened. She just knew that it did.
However, that was five years ago. Kagome Higurashi was twenty-three years old now, living as the last woman on Earth in the same Higurashi home. She had no hope for any change. She had tried to communicate with any remaining people using radios, phones and computers, but never got a response. But she had made the startling discovery that electricity hadn't gone out, even years after. It was almost like something was keeping it going, though she had visited the electrical plants and found no one.
No channels worked, all website servers were down, and the radio only gave back static. But she was able to spend most of her time watching old movies and shows. Which is all she did lately. Watch movies and cry.
And after watching some romantic comedy, she ran up to her room, closed and locked the door, and cried. She locked the door whenever she went into her room. She locked it when she slept and when she was just hanging around. And it was only her room door that she locked. She didn't know why. Perhaps it made her feel like old times when she didn't want Souta bothering her. But she never went into her room without locking and closing the door behind her.
Even so, today was a normal day for her now. And she cried into her pillow nonetheless, letting doubts and self-blame enter into her mind. When nothing was ever happening, and no one was ever around, the darker thoughts found an easier path into the mind. It happened frequently, and it happened mercilessly. Movies gave her a nice reprieve, but they also made her fraught with the sadness that her life would never consist of even the simplest joys she saw on screen. No hanging out with friends. No endearing moments with family. No lover to grow old with.
This is my punishment. I was never able to let Inuyasha go, so my family had to deal with my obsession with the well. I wasn't there for them. And now I'm here by myself.
She whimpered quietly, not that it mattered. She knew she could scream if she wanted. She could yell at the emptiness and it wouldn't matter. No one would ever be there to hear it.
And yet, she continued to be quiet. To speak quietly to herself. To whisper 'excuse me' if she burped. She didn't like sneezing loud. If she laughed, she covered her mouth to muffle it. It wasn't even automatic, it was purposeful. And none of it made any sense. It was logically unnecessary. But she did it anyways.
I will never let go, either. Even if I never check the well again, he will always be on the back of my mind. And I will continue to be punished for all eternity.
As she stayed miserably sprawled out on her bed for a period of time that she didn't bother keeping track of, she took in the sounds of nature, listening to the wind shake the trees. Her eyes connected with the white of her ceiling, but her mind checked out visually and she just let herself exist for a bit in attempt to soothe her miserable soul. The whistling of the wind provided her with the softest whisper, almost as if it was a sentient being itself talking to her. And as her ears focused on the noises, she couldn't help but notice little thumps coming from downstairs.
They were like footsteps.
She sat up, taking in a deep breath as she pressed the palms of her hands into her mattress, filled with uncertainty. She bit her bottom lip, moving it around in between her teeth as her gaze made its way to the door. Yes, the locked door across the room. The one that kept her concealed inside these walls. She exhaled softly as the thumps continued below her.
I must be going crazy now. Though it's long overdue... Maybe I'll just ignore it. Nothing is down there. No one will ever be down there.
But the steps continued and continued. The creaks of the stairs rang through her room and she gripped her blankets tight in her sweaty hands. No matter how hard she tried to ignore them, they weren't going away. In fact, they were getting closer.
And they came. And they came. Until they were so close that Kagome held her breath. And then, they stopped. Quiet filled the room again. She exhaled in relief. Nothing was out there. Nothing could be out there. Everyone was dead and gone.
And she continued to listen to the shaking of the trees, daydreaming about nothing.
Knock, knock, knock.
Now, her life stopped. And it flashed white as she processed the noise that just violated her ears. Her breath sped up, and she gripped onto her chest, thinking nothing but gibberish, confused and unable to satisfy that confusion. She couldn't help the denial that was exploding inside of her. She was the last person on Earth. There couldn't exist another who would knock on her door.
Knock, knock, knock.
Maybe it was God coming down to finally collect her soul. Perhaps it was the devil ready to drag her to hell.
Knock, knock, knock.
She flinched a bit, keeping her eyes glued to the bedroom door. The bed creaked as she moved and she cursed herself for it. She wasn't sure if she was ready for whoever was out there to know for sure that she was here.
No, she wasn't.
And yet, she found herself standing. Moving closer to the door. The knob began to shake as though whoever was on the other side was desperately trying to open it. But she didn't stop. She kept moving until she was face to face with the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
She reached for the knob...
I hope you've enjoyed it so far. I know, no one likes cliffhangers. Though, I am excited to get the next chapter up.
Now, I don't want to make this fic too predictable. So, I'll be working on that. Review and let me know who you think is behind the door!
Thanks for reading!