Oarai:Ibaraki prefecture
I am currently walking down a hallway of an apartment building, searching for one particullar room. My interviewee had requested for the interview to be done at her apartment as she was having a mild fever and didn't have the energy to conduct the interview outside, which i respected.
After a few minutes of walking up and down the hallway, i finally found the room address i was looking for. I knock on the door and then wait for the apartment owner to answer. I didn't have to wait long as i heard from the other side of the door a voice that says. "Just a minute please." And then followed by a series of footsteps heading for the door.
When the door finally open, it reveal a woman in her mid thirties with a short brown hair, a brown eyes and was standing on an average height for a Japanese woman. Upon seeing the woman, the journalist smile and bow in greeting. "Good morning miss Nishizumi, i hope i don't bother you." I said apologetically.
"Oh no, it's fine. I'm the one who invite you here afterall." Miho said politely with a smile. "Come in." She step aside to let her guess inside.
Once inside, the senshado instructor of Oarai lead me to sit in the kotatsu table to keep me warm as it was winter time. After is was seated and warm, Miho walk to the kitchen to brew two cups of tea for me and herself. After the tea was done, she brought the cup back to the living room and set it down on the table.
"Please have a drink." She offereed
I thank her and took a sip out of his cup. After i was done, i put the cup back in the table, after that he look at Miho to ask for confirmation if she's ready for the interview, which Miho nodded at. I then set up my camera and pull out mynotebook.
"So, where do you wanna start?" Miho ask her interviewer.
"Tell me the first time you made contact with the infected and the events you experienced following the the great panic." I said.
"Very well then." Miho then took a deep breath before she recounted those memory of her teenage year at the start of the war.
"It was May 2013, just a month before we suppose to graduate. It started just like any normal day, i woke up, take a shower, eat my breakfast, went to school with my friends. It was the start of the new school year and for the most part, the day went normally, aside from our old student council and leopon team who had graduated, we should've followed them if it weren't for the plauge. After school is over, we went to our tank garage and start that day senshado training. I remember when i open that day training i specifically told everyone to get more serious as the next national tournament were about to start a few month after i suppose to graduated high school and this time we didn't have the privilage of being the underdog and every participating school are wary of our exploits in the last year tournament and the winter cup."
"That day, we split into two teams with one team lead by me and the other by Azusa, as she's the one who will replace me as Oarai's commander after i graduated. All is going to plan up until in the middle of the practice, Mako's phone suddenly started to ring. She stop our panzer IV in the middle of the woods to answer it and when she does she suddenly drop her phone. When she did this, we were worried as the last time she does that was the time when the hospital call to inform her that grandmother had collapse."
"As soon as she hang up the phone we immidietly asked her what was wrong. Turns out it was her grandma's neighbour calling to inform her that her grandma had slip in her bathroom and now are currently staying in Oarai's hospital. After i heard that, i made an annoucement through the radio that the practice for today had been cancel and they all could return home. There were some questioning as to why but i put an end to that very quickly. After we return our beloved panzer IV to the garage, me, Saori, Hana and Yukari had decided to sleep at Mako's place that night to keep her company and since the next day the Zuikaku would mada port in Oarai, we also decided to accompany Mako to visit her grandmother at the hospital."
"When the next morning came, we don't waste any time and immidietly start to get ready for our visit. I think that day was also the fastest time i saw Mako get out of bed." She smile fondly at the memory. "As soon as the Zuikaku made port, we immidietly disembark and headed straight for the hospital. All of us were wearing face mask that day. Everybody had heard the news of the new epidemics that was spreading across the globe, the so called "African rabies" what we called it back then. We were face mask merely as a precaution and weren't that worried of the epidemics as Oarai is a small town where it is unlikely you would fine a case of a new epidemics, unlike Sendai, Osaka, Kyoto or Tokyo where positive cases have been reported. We also have been vaccinated by "Phalanx". The so called cured for the african rabies." She laugh bitterly. "I still can't believe how naive we were back then. If we only knew what was to come."
She pauses for a moment before continuing.
"After we made it to the hospital, we went to ask the receptionist which room Mako's grandmother are staying at. After the recepcionist tells us which room she's staying at, we thank him and made our way there, but before we could go, the recepcionist stop to warn us that there've been a confirm case of the african rabies here and told us to be careful. The news scared us a little but we kept a calm demeanor and walk towards the room Mako's grandmother were staying."
"When we enter the room, we saw Mako's grandmother are accompanied by a nurse who was checking on her. Mako ran straight towards her grandmother and chastise her for being not careful enough and of course Mako's grandmother, being the mean old bastard that she is chastise Mako's back. All the while the rest of us are watching them in amusement."
"After the nurse left, Mako and her grandmother had stop chastizing each other and start to talk normaly. We occasionally jump into there conversation, but it is mainly Mako and her grandmother."
"Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of screaming from outside the room. We all stop talking to listen closely and hear the sound of multiple people running outiside the room. At first we thought there was a fire in the building, but that theory was dismissed when we heard the sound of someone... walking, followed by the sound of unnatural moaning. If this was a fire, any sane person would ran for their life, why would this person walking?"
"Our moment of pondering was cut short when the footstep stop right outside of our room. Then suddenly the door swung open, revealing the culprit of the footstep and moaning sound. It was a boy, an eleven year old perhaps? i'm not sure, his eyes were grey and his skin are pale, really pale and he was wearing his hospital gown. The sight freak us out as we remember from news broadcast that pale skin and grey eyes are symptoms of the african rabies. We all back to the corners of the room to get away as much as possible from the boy. When he walked in, he made his way to Mako's grandma as she was the one closest to him. Mako's grandma try to told the boy to stay away by screaming profanities at him, something that would definately scare any sane person, but not him. When the boy is only a meter away from her bed, he grab her leg and sunk his teeth into it. Mako's grandma scream in agony and we all rush in and restrain the boy away from her."
"It took the five of us thirthy second for get the boy to release his bite. We fought tooth and nail just to keep the boy on the ground, he just kept resisting and try to bite us, it scared us. Then after five minutes, two security guard came in and took the boy away. A doctor came in shortly after to look at Mako's grandma. The boy had left a deep bite mark on her leg and it made the doctor concern as it was guaranteed that Mako's grandma was infected with the rabies. He told us to leave and came back tommorow to get updated on the test result."
"Mako was visibly upset about the whole thing and demanded to speak to her grandma face to face. But the doctor forbid it, telling us it is dangerous and we could possibly got infected ourself. Mako though wasn't having it, she was about to protest when her grandma stop her from her bed. She basically said that she has to listen to the doctor for her and our sake. Mako was having none of it, so did her grandma. Both of them are protesting at the doctor and the nurses. Mako was complaining because the doctor kept her from seeing his grandmother, her grandmother on the other hand was screaming at the top of her lung at the doctor to let her go, that she will be fine and if they dare to even attempt of keeping her inside this hospital for much longer they would be sorry. In the middle of her rant, two security guard escorted us out of the room and told us to just follow the doctor's order. Reluctantly, we did as we told, and all the while we still could hear Mako's grandma yell throughout the hallway and even to the hospital yard. That old woman sure had a lot of energy."
"The next day when we return to the hospital, we were worried for Mako's grandma and was curious about her test result. But when we finally arrived at the hospital gate, the condition was much different from when we left it yesterday. The hospital was surrounded by yellow tapes that has the words 'biohazard' written on the them. There were alot of curious onlooker outside the hospital to see what the hell is happening. We join the crowds and saw a very haunting sight. The hospital gate were guarded by JSDF soldiers wearing anti chemical gloves, gas mask and they were armed with rifles. Inside the hospital we could see through the window more JSDF soldiers in full hazmat suit walking around sanitizing the place."
"There are some people who have their relative treated in that hospital and was waiting on the front gate, demanding the soldiers to let them in, the soldiers didn't budge, they didn't even said anything in response when the people ask them what was wrong, they didn't even look at us, they just... stand there."
"Then from the distance we could here a thumping noise coming from the sky. Many onlooker look to the sky and i follow suit to see a CH-47 chinook helicopter hovering above our heads and landing on the hospital yards. As soon as the chinook lands, the hospital lobby sliding door open and the came out JSDF soldiers in their hazmat suit carrying... body bags and left it inside the helicopter."
"When the people saw that, they revolted, especially those who had familly in there. Many charged at the front gate, trying to force their way inside the hospital and start a riot. The soldiers desperately try to hold the gate and one fire a warning shot into the air and it send crowd into a frenzy, it was a mess! I think i trip over atleast five times that day and almost crushed to death multiple times. I try to find my friends among the crowd, but i couldn't see any of them so i try to just get out of the crowd instead."
"It took me awhile, but i manage to get escape the crowd and found Yukari already there. We both start yelling at the top of our lung calling for Hana, Mako and Saori. They finally escape the crowd after a few minutes, Hana came out first, Saori and Mako follow suit. After that we escape to a nearby caffe to wait it to be over. We then walk to the second floor and watch the riot unfold from there, it was madness. But then we focus our attention at the hospital and watch more and more soldiers left the hospital building with more body bags and load them into the helicopter. After the chinook was full with the dead, it took off and flies to gods knows where. There are two more chinook that landed in that hospital with the exact same purpose of carrying dead bodies and transport it somewhere else."
"After the last chopper left, the crowd finally dispersed. There were a lot of injuries and people crying for there loved one who stuck in that hospital. Suddenly, all of our phone notifications ring at the same time, we saw that all of our phone it have the same massegge. "Due to the recent outbreak. All students are required return to the carriers immidietly!" The massege read. So we comply. On our way back to the carriers, Mako were silent, more so than usual and we can't really blame her, for all she knew her grandma might be in one of those bags. We found out our specualation are right later on. Mako was not the only who was silent though, all of us are, even Saori. I think all of us have an 'oh shit' moment going off inside our brains at the same time."
"When we return to the carrier, we all went back to our respective place, except for Saori who volunteered to stay with Mako and watch over her. When i return to my apartment, the first thing i do was to take a long shower to wash off all the dirt away from my body and trying to proccess what the hell just happend back there."
"After i was done i headed to my bedroom and turn on the TV to look for an answer from the news or a goverment broadcast. I wasn't ready for i what was coming. All the news channel are brodcasting the same thing, the virus we've been facing isn't rabies, rather it was a virus that brings people back from the dead."
"I remember watching the broadcast with my mouth hung open, i honestly think it was just a hoax, that is until the broadcast switch over to footage of the undead causing chaos in South Africa. It then followed with another footage of the undead, this time in Tokyo, then it shows another footage in Osaka, then Kokura, then Sendai and they continue on and on showing different sighting footage of the undead all around Japan, including the riots that followed, the deployment of the JSDF to contain the outbreak, the evacuation of civilians and many more disturbing thing."
"I think that's the moment the true magnitude of the situation hit me. I remember having a slight panic attack after i watch that news broadcast, but after i calm down i realise something terrirying, the kid who bit Mako's grandma was one of them, so that means Mako's grandma is one of those walking corpes."
"At that realisation i pray that Mako wouldn't learn what truly happend to her grandma so she atleast would be spare from the knowlage that her grandma is now become the very thing that almost cause humanities extinction, but deep down i know that Mako will learn what happend to her grandma pretty fast, Mako is a smart girl and the news of the infected is now on every TV channel and every website of the internet. I could only imagine what's going through her mind when she realise that the last family she got left is now gone and came back as an undead."
"I think i wasn't the only one who was shock by the revalation as that day is the start of the great panic when people around the world learn the true nature of the virus. The next day was monday where we suppose to return to school, but we get the announcement that school would be closed for two weeks to prevent the spread of infection among the carrier's community. That same day the great panic reach Oarai and it's population went into survival mode. Grocery and outdoor stores were looted and the street decended into chaos, thankfully the chaos in Oarai wasn't as bad as some other big cities like Tokyo or Osaka."
"That morning, just after the annoncement about the school closing was made public, the first 'refugee' board the Zuikaku in hope of the ship sail as far away from the mainland to escape the undead and by nightfall, 2/3 of Oarai population had board the Zuikaku. The Zuikaku captain try to stop it by deploying the local police force to prevent people from boarding, but it was in vain, there are simply to many refugees and to little policeman."
"Thankfully for us, none of the refugees were infected, so we don't have any problem with any undead roaming around in our ship and the Zuikaku have a large portion of it's deck didicated to farming and growing livestock and we also breeds fish below deck, so food wasn't an issue for us. The biggest problem for us is morale, especially in the early days of the great panic."
"Mako had learned the truth about what happend to her grandma fairly quickly and the way she received it... honestly i'm not sure, it was hard to know what she was thinking in her normal self, but after what happend to her grandma, it become impossible to know what she's thinking. But we all know she was devastated. Out of the five of us Mako is the only one with no family members left. Saori, Yukari and Hana's family are all safe in the Zuikaku and at least i know where my family was, my mother was safe in the graf zappelin, my father was organizing his unit to evacuate Kumamoto and i have been in contact with Maho to know that she's okay."
"Actually, scratch that, Mako did still have a family left, us and we show it everytime we've got. We would visit her daily to make sure she was okay, we would cook for her, talk to her and let her vent her frustration. We could tell she was greatfull for it, everytime we would hang out with her she would have this subtle small smile in her face, though she wouldn't show it though."
"We could really tell that Mako was struggling though. Everytime we hangout there is always one moment where she would space out, sometimes she would went full comatose in the middle of a conversation. When we eat, she would always lost her appitite and she'll only eat if we told her to, sometimes she won't eat at all. Mako is a very skinny girl, but the lack of appitite cause her to look like a living skeleton in just two weeks. But the good thing is she would get better slightly everyday, at least, that was what we were telling ourself."
Miho look down at the table, trying to hide her tears from me and took multiple deep breath to calm herself.
"It's okay miss Nishizumi, take your time." I said.
She went on to breath heavily for two minutes before she finally calms down to tell the next part of the story, one that she wanted desperately to forget.
"One day, me, Saori, Hana and Yukari went on our routine visit to Mako's place. When we got there we knock on the door expecting Mako to open it and let us in, but that wasn't what happend. We knock again, no answer, we yell for her to come out, thinking she had sleep in but again, no answer. After a few minute of this Yukari decide to just break into her house, Saori objected saying it's rude to broke into people's home but Yukari already pick off the lock before Saori's done protesting."
"When we came in we found all the lights in the house are dead, which isn't out of the ordinary for Mako, but this time we all feel that something was... of. We don't know what it was but we keep on walking and calling for her and just like before, we receive no answer. Then we decide to check her bedroom to see if she's asleep. When we enter her bedroom we found Mako lying down under her futon blanket and her eyes were shut. Saori went on chastise Mako for making us wait outside for so long, but when she didn't wake up Saori pull her blanket, but when she did, the scene we saw that day will haunt all of us for the rest of our lives."
"Mako wasn't sleeping, she's dead, she had commited suicide by cutting her wrist open the night prior. I guess the death of her grandmother took more of a toll on her than we realize, especially she the last time she saw her she didn't have time to say a proper goodbye. Hana and Yukari immidietly left to find help while me and Saori stays behind to see if she's somehow still alive. Saori was a mess, she cried and screamed at Mako's trying desperately to wake her up. It's also the first time i heard Saori swore, she swore at Mako to somehow wake her up. I was crying to and at first i was with Saori, trying to wake Mako up, but the truth hit me first and i realize that... as painful as it was, there is no way Mako would wake up, she's dead."
"Tearfully i told Saori to let her go, but she wouldn't budge she just kept screaming at shaking Mako's body, begging her to tell us that it was just a sick joke. But it wasn't. I tried again to make Saori let Mako go but she just wouldn't listen to me, she still refused to give up on her. I then try to pull her away but she push me away and went back to Mako, still refusing to give up. Finally i decided enough is enough, i then force Saori to look at me and then i slap her hard across the face, i hated that i had to do that, but there's no other way she would snap out of it. I think it work though, finally Saori accepted the truth, she then start to cry again and i pull her into a hug and we both cried together."
"That was when Hana and Yukari return with a police officer. The police ushered us outside while he call for back up and medical team trough his radio. Once outside we all just stand there, none of us said anything, still unable to process what just happend, it just didn't seemed real. Then Saori start to cried again and we all unable to control our emotion so we also start to to cry as well. By that time, i guess the neighbours had heard what happend and start to gather outside of Mako's home. We get a few sympathetic looks from the neighbours but we didn't acknowledge it, we still grieving for losing Mako. Mako is a great friend for all of us, even those outside of our friend circle and i guess it hit Saori more than us, she had known Mako since they were seven and she just couldn't believe her oldest friend is gone."
She then felt tears slowly coming out of her eyes and she start to breath heavily again as the painful memory start to resurface.
Feeling guilty for dig up her bad memory, i speak to her in an understanding tone. "If you feel you couldn't continue just say it miss Nishizumi, then i won't publish your story if you weren't comfortable with that."
Miho though shook her head. "No, no it's okay, i can continue, afterall this is so that future generation could learn from us and form a better future, so that tragedy like Mako won't happend again, at least not as common."
I sigh. "Okay then, if that's what you want. And i'm sorry miss for bringing up bad memories." I apoligized.
Miho accept my apology with a smile of graditude and continue her story. "The sad thing is, Mako is not the first one from our school that commited the unthinkable, and she's certanly not the last. There are two other who decide to end themself from the senshado team. The first one was Sodoko who hang herself in the school bathroom, and the second one was Azusa, her parents and younger brother was visiting Tokyo for a vacation when that city went to hell. She never found out what happend to them and guess that they were dead, so she decide to join them by jumping of the carrier into the pacific ocean."
"Things got darker for us when the prime minister declared that the situation was hopeless and announce the total evacuation of the Japanese home island. When the Zuikaku and the other carriers finally link up in Kamchatka peninsula and the Kuril islands, things just keep going more depressing from there and i think many of us had thought of commiting the unthinkable, i knew i did, more than once."
"Then what keeps you going?" I inquired.
"My sister. Just after the great panic start, i've been manage to contact my sister who's attending university in Germany. She told me that Frankfurt, the city she lived in was evacuated by the German army, and it's citizen were moved by train to the northern region near Denmark's border where the military decide to esthablish a safe zone. She told me that she was safe, but she miss being home and she miss me, mom and dad. I guess living in Germany have made her homesick and it made us realize how much we miss each other. We were very close as kids and we never really saw our parents that much since our mom is an senshado instructor and hold a high position in the senshado federation while our dad is a high ranking officer in the JSDF."
"We talk over the phones for hours, pouring our hearts out at each other, we say i love you a lot during that conversation. But after a while, Maho told me that her phone battery is dying and will likely won't be able to call me in the near future. Maho is a smart girl, she already know that our war against the undead had just began and the next few years will be a tough years for all of us and she knew that long range communication won't likely to work, so she already anticipated that we won't be able to talk for a long time. But just before Maho's phone run out of battery, she said something that shock me. "Miho, i will come home to you and we will see each other again, just wait for me okay." And then her phone died."
"That's the reason i keep going, for my sister, the tone Maho's use during our confersation is something i haven't heard from her in a long time. It was the tone she made when she's being mischievious, she's gonna do something crazy, and she did!" She laugh. "I just can't imagine what Maho would feel if her transcontinental journey to see me was in vain if i go through with killing myself."