Chapter Three
Tokyo
As soon as the sun came up, they packed up the tent and tied it back into one of the backpacks. The three friends took out a jar full of mud and covered their necks and arms with it. It was one of the best ways to keep the vampires from picking up their scent and tracking them.
"Okay, let's move on," Tomoyo muttered, starting to walk through the bushes.
The three of them continued their journey, always speaking softly and keeping a careful eye on where they stepped, to make sure they made as little noise as possible so that no one would hear them.
They did not mention again what had happened with the vampire boy. Neither of them wanted to remember.
Tomoyo stopped them by holding out an arm a few hours later. The two friends glanced ahead and saw that they were on the side of an old road.
"We have to avoid these places," she whispered nervously.
It was true. The further away they were from any roads or paths, the better. Walking there was much easier, so there was a greater risk of running into someone.
The three of them stayed hidden in the undergrowth for a few minutes, observing everything and making sure that no one was nearby. After that, they crossed quickly and continued their journey.
Five days later they found themselves on top of a hill, very impressed with what was in front of them.
The skyscrapers of Tokyo were already visible in the distance and the sight of them had left them speechless. Some of them had collapsed, but many were still standing and it was incredible to be able to admire them for the first time.
It was hard to imagine that humans had lived inside them for so many years.
The whole city was overrun by nature. Most of the buildings were covered in a blanket of green and, with the binoculars, they saw herds of deer scampering through the streets.
Fortunately, after the Great War, pollution was drastically reduced worldwide. Trees and plants gained ground, spreading back into the most deforested areas, and within thirty years it was possible to live anywhere on the planet again.
Though it was not pleasant to remember that this was thanks to the near-destruction of the human race.
Nobody said anything for a few minutes. They just stared at the city while a cool breeze ruffled their hair. It was noticeable that they were much further north in the country.
"We'll get there tomorrow," Eriol whispered in an excited voice.
"Yes, and it will be much harder to find a safe place to sleep there," Tomoyo replied, shuddering.
"On top of a building is the best option," Sakura said.
Her two friends nodded and set their backpacks on the ground. It was time to prepare the tent again because it wasn't long before sunset.
This time, they took extra care to hide it high up in a large tree. Being so close to the city, the likelihood of vampires in the area was much greater.
According to the books they had studied, they liked to live in small groups and hide in towns, lying in wait for any passing travellers.
That night, Sakura didn't stand guard and woke up well rested.
"Did you see anything?" she asked once she got up.
Her two friends exchanged a glance before answering.
"Not near us... but we've seen the windows of some buildings light up in the city," Tomoyo murmured.
Sakura wrinkled her nose.
"Vampire nests," Eriol whispered, reading her mind.
They dismantled the tent and continued on their way at a brisk pace.
Little by little, the skyscrapers were getting closer. By the time they stopped for a rest and a bite to eat, it was only about three kilometres to Tokyo.
"This first night here is going to be very interesting," Eriol commented as they started walking through the streets of the gigantic city.
Tomoyo had her notebook in her hand and was writing down anything she found interesting or useful. If they found a large amount of silver, or building materials, perhaps the council of the shelter would decide to travel to Tokyo with the horses to take it all with them.
The three of them wrinkled their noses and looked away as they passed a corpse that, judging by its degree of decomposition, must have been there for several years.
They continued walking through the undergrowth that now covered most of the streets of Tokyo, looking for a building that was safe and tall enough to sleep in.
Suddenly, Sakura grabbed her bow and held it, aiming an arrow all around her.
"What's wrong?" Tomoyo asked quietly.
"Don't you have the feeling that someone is watching us?" she said, narrowing her eyes and scanning the distance.
Eriol and Tomoyo watched their surroundings for a few seconds, squinting their eyes.
"Come on, let's get out of here quickly," he muttered, feeling a very unpleasant shiver down his spine.
The three of them kept moving forward, but Sakura kept her bow pointed, ready in case she needed to defend herself.
They did not see anything, but through the darkness of the basement windows of a building several pairs of red eyes were fixed on them.
Five streets later, Eriol pointed to a twenty floor building.
"This one will do. It looks like the foundations aren't too badly affected, so it won't collapse... at least for the next few years."
Sakura nodded and they hurried inside.
Tomoyo took out the gun and held it in front of her body. Eriol also carried a knife in each hand and Sakura peeked inside, aiming her bow.
"All clear," she mumbled, opening the door all the way.
They began to climb the stairs to the top floor, weapons at the ready. When they reached the door leading to the roof, it was completely locked.
"It must have been blocked centuries ago, during the war... let me do it," Eriol demanded, approaching with his knives.
A few minutes later, there was a clanging sound and the door opened.
"You're quite the expert at this sort of thing," Tomoyo commented with a big smile.
He smirked back at her and the three of them walked out onto the rooftop. It was all green, full of vines running down the facade. They took out their tent and set it up. The sun was already about to set.
Sakura put the notebook and a pencil aside, grimacing.
"Where is the map of Tokyo?"
Eriol rummaged through his backpack and handed it to her. She unfolded it, looking for the exact spot where they were.
"Tonight we really need to write down anything we see that looks strange... and places where we suspect there are nests," she murmured, frowning.
Her two friends nodded and slipped inside the tent, keeping their weapons close.
Sakura sighed and put on her camouflage cap, so she could peek over the rooftop railing without being seen from below. She averted her gaze to the left. The sun had already set behind the mountains and there was less and less light.
"Where are you, you filthy bloodsuckers?" she whispered, her voice full of hatred.
A couple of hours later, she saw light in some distant buildings. Sakura crouched down, peering through the binoculars and pointing out the location of those buildings on the map. In the notebook, she noted the exact floor that lit up.
They could be vampires, but they could also be humans... though she doubted there were any human stupid enough to reveal where they were so easily. Turning on a light at night was like asking vampires to pay you a visit.
A rustling woke Eriol, who quietly exited the tent, knives in hand and heart racing. He approached the only door to the roof. It had been relocked after they entered and was still locked.
He heard a small hiss behind him and, turning around, saw Sakura calling out to him. She was leaning over the railing, bow ready to fire.
Eriol approached her, crouching low.
"What was that noise?" he whispered when he was beside her.
She pointed to the streets below with her eyes.
Eriol peeked out carefully. Even though they were over twenty stories up, he could make out a group of five people walking among the abandoned cars in silence.
"Are they vampires?"
Sakura nodded.
"They seem to have smelled something and are on the hunt."
Eriol shuddered and checked that his body was still covered in mud where his scent was coming from.
"I'd swear they saw us this morning and are looking for us, but they don't seem to know we're here," Sakura added, still pointing her bow at them.
Eriol went to wake Tomoyo up and the three of them watched the vampires as they continued to walk through the streets, slowly moving away. When they lost sight of them, they glanced at each other. All three of their hearts were beating fast.
"This is the first time I've seen living vampires. I didn't expect them to look so..." Tomoyo murmured, a little confused.
"... So human?" Sakura finished for her.
Tomoyo nodded, swallowing hard.
"They used to be human. The only thing that distinguishes them from us is their strength, their fangs and the colour of their eyes," Eriol whispered.
"And the colour of their skin," Sakura added softly.
They were so pale they reflected the moonlight, that's why she had recognised them.
The three continued to stare at the city for a moment, until Sakura sighed.
"Go back to sleep. It's not your turn yet, Tomoyo," she murmured, looking at her friend.
She and Eriol smiled and returned to the tent silently. Sakura put the bow away, placing the arrow in her quiver.
She sat down on the floor, leaning her back against the wall and closing her eyes. All the fear she had felt at the sight of the vampires flowed through her body. She hadn't let it affect her until that moment.
Sakura took several deep breaths, concentrating to push the fears and doubts from her mind. She knew the time would soon come when she would be face to face with a vampire, and when that happened, she couldn't hesitate or let fear take control.
When she opened her eyes again, her gaze was hard again.
"I will not be intimidated," she whispered to herself.
She peered over the railing again and wrote down everything she saw in her notebook as she pointed to the dots on the map.
Suddenly, her blood ran cold as she saw the figure of a man in the building across the street. He was staring at her, leaning out of one of the broken windows.
She reached out for her binoculars, but saw nothing when she looked again.
Sakura readied her bow and remained on the alert, in case she saw someone coming out of that building... but hours passed and she saw no one.
At four in the morning she woke Tomoyo up, informing her of what she had seen so that she could also keep an eye on the area.
She laid down on her sleeping bag, unable to get the memory of that man on the tenth floor of the building across the street out of her mind, watching her silently.