Land of the Setting Sun
5/23/2007 - Itaki's Home
Our tent was actually rather spacious, and would easily accommodate our entire group, so we chose to use it, rather than trust a dilapidated apartment complex not to collapse on us. Setting it up took a while, it was one of those fancy ones with a metal infrastructure and grounding poles; we laid out some tarps and had it up as a team before losing daylight completely. Having a small lamp inside made it feel cozy, like the inside of an oven.
Winds were fierce tonight, but our tent held, anchored to the ground. We slept huddled together in a mass, sailors included, guarding each other from the harsh environment. I found it fairly easy to drift to sleep, surprisingly, despite the circumstances. Guess that hard times do make a group bond closer.
----------
We woke up to the gentle warmth of the sun filtering its way into the tent. I was one of the first ones out, stretching and yawning as the sun beat down, surveilling. The fading remnants of a black, coal-like dust scattered as the sun rose, dissipating into the air as if it had never existed.
"Strange," I thought. "Doesn't seem like natural behavior for soot, where'd it come from anyways?"
Today was the day that we would arrive at Itaki's home, and the excitement was palpable. From what he'd told us, his home was ridiculously beautiful, at least before nuclear armageddon, and he assured us that it would still be intact. I was pretty doubtful, and confused as to how he could be so sure, but hope does strange things to men. He glided at the front of the group, seeming to know the way even before Ogasawara gave him instructions. He was coming home.
A deeply unsettling grey sky settled in by the time we'd made it within eyeshot of Itaki's home, which rested low to the ground, mostly in pieces. The air smelled strongly of rain; we hadn't come well prepared for a thunderstorm, so we all picked up the pace, practically breaking into sprints as the first few water droplets broke from the sky. Luckily, Itaki's house was still partially covered, so we were able to take shelter.
Itaki's home was very traditionally Japanese, boasting two stories supported by darkly stained wood that, despite the obvious wear and age, still help up fairly well. The straw matting within had not preserved itself nearly as well. It was split and upheaved into small prickly coils, and wildly off-color, particularly in the corners of the rooms. We huddled in one of these corners, hiding in the Itaki family's multipurpose room. Itaki took a moment to breathe, and ran his fingers across the wooden walls. He purposefully hid his face from view, I assumed to save face. I couldn't imagine what he was feeling.
The sky darkened steadily, despite it being midday at most. The rain didn't want to let up either, making small puddles in the matting that released a rather moldy stench into the air. Dark, black clouds hung over the city like curtains, and grew steadily wider, enveloping the sun that had been warming us up. Accordingly, I slipped on my windbreaker. Rain was not unlike Japan's natural climate, back in the thirties and forties. The wind whipped up too, nearly taking off Dr. Blythe's hat. At this, he shouted:
"Stay close! We don't know how bad this storm is going to get!"
Something must have heard him; a magnificent bout of thunder followed right after, shaking our spirits. This storm was almost... aggressive.
There was a familiar sound, like sifting sand, something I'd grown used to listening to at night. It grew steadily from the opposite side of the room, and that's when IT happened. Itaki grabbed my arm with white bony fingers as the shadows that had been seared into the walls began to shift, and peel themselves off the walls.
"What the actual FUCK is that?!" yelled Ogasawara.
They stumbled towards us like newborn babes, as if they were learning to walk for the first time. It was plain to see why. They seemed to be made of some sort of ashy material that crumbled and reformed with every step. Dr. Blythe grabbed my collar, shoving me through the nearby doorway towards the entrance to Itaki's home and into the rain. It took a moment for my legs to function, frozen from shock.
Qara came next, followed by everyone except Ogasawara. I started to speak but Dr. Blythe cut me off.
"He's dealing with it! We need to go!" he shouted. I didn't consider the implications of leaving him behind then, instead running to the entrance of the house. More of the ashen humanoids blocked the way, flaking and disintegrating as they walked. Someone threw a rock at them, which blew a hole straight through the shoulder of the first creature. It filled in almost immediately, regenerating itself while the creature didn't even slow down. They entered Itaki's home, and that's when all hell broke loose.
The smoky cloud cover sprouted thin cracks and let loose a bolt of lightning, which streaked down to us in slow motion. When it hit the floor between us and the creatures, there was an explosion of light that seared my eyes. It felt like receiving a full-body light sunburn. When I was able to open my burnt eyelids, I was laying in the middle of the entrance, a smoking crater just a couple feet in front of me. All of the shadows had gone as well. I picked myself up on shaky legs, and took a few steps, feeling increasingly nauseous. A quick look at my hands revealed they were completely blistered, along with my arms.
The way was clear, and I grabbed the others, who were stumbling towards the exit, with one exception. Itaki kneeled in the ashes, face in his hands.
"Itaki! We need to get the fuck out of here NOW!" He turned his head slowly, shaking it.
"No, James. I cannot run from this." The ashes begin sifting around his body once more, planning to claim him for the walls, no doubt. This would be the only chance I'd have to grab him and escape with the others.
Our tent was actually rather spacious, and would easily accommodate our entire group, so we chose to use it, rather than trust a dilapidated apartment complex not to collapse on us. Setting it up took a while, it was one of those fancy ones with a metal infrastructure and grounding poles; we laid out some tarps and had it up as a team before losing daylight completely. Having a small lamp inside made it feel cozy, like the inside of an oven.
Winds were fierce tonight, but our tent held, anchored to the ground. We slept huddled together in a mass, sailors included, guarding each other from the harsh environment. I found it fairly easy to drift to sleep, surprisingly, despite the circumstances. Guess that hard times do make a group bond closer.
----------
We woke up to the gentle warmth of the sun filtering its way into the tent. I was one of the first ones out, stretching and yawning as the sun beat down, surveilling. The fading remnants of a black, coal-like dust scattered as the sun rose, dissipating into the air as if it had never existed.
"Strange," I thought. "Doesn't seem like natural behavior for soot, where'd it come from anyways?"
Today was the day that we would arrive at Itaki's home, and the excitement was palpable. From what he'd told us, his home was ridiculously beautiful, at least before nuclear armageddon, and he assured us that it would still be intact. I was pretty doubtful, and confused as to how he could be so sure, but hope does strange things to men. He glided at the front of the group, seeming to know the way even before Ogasawara gave him instructions. He was coming home.
A deeply unsettling grey sky settled in by the time we'd made it within eyeshot of Itaki's home, which rested low to the ground, mostly in pieces. The air smelled strongly of rain; we hadn't come well prepared for a thunderstorm, so we all picked up the pace, practically breaking into sprints as the first few water droplets broke from the sky. Luckily, Itaki's house was still partially covered, so we were able to take shelter.
Itaki's home was very traditionally Japanese, boasting two stories supported by darkly stained wood that, despite the obvious wear and age, still help up fairly well. The straw matting within had not preserved itself nearly as well. It was split and upheaved into small prickly coils, and wildly off-color, particularly in the corners of the rooms. We huddled in one of these corners, hiding in the Itaki family's multipurpose room. Itaki took a moment to breathe, and ran his fingers across the wooden walls. He purposefully hid his face from view, I assumed to save face. I couldn't imagine what he was feeling.
The sky darkened steadily, despite it being midday at most. The rain didn't want to let up either, making small puddles in the matting that released a rather moldy stench into the air. Dark, black clouds hung over the city like curtains, and grew steadily wider, enveloping the sun that had been warming us up. Accordingly, I slipped on my windbreaker. Rain was not unlike Japan's natural climate, back in the thirties and forties. The wind whipped up too, nearly taking off Dr. Blythe's hat. At this, he shouted:
"Stay close! We don't know how bad this storm is going to get!"
Something must have heard him; a magnificent bout of thunder followed right after, shaking our spirits. This storm was almost... aggressive.
There was a familiar sound, like sifting sand, something I'd grown used to listening to at night. It grew steadily from the opposite side of the room, and that's when IT happened. Itaki grabbed my arm with white bony fingers as the shadows that had been seared into the walls began to shift, and peel themselves off the walls.
"What the actual FUCK is that?!" yelled Ogasawara.
They stumbled towards us like newborn babes, as if they were learning to walk for the first time. It was plain to see why. They seemed to be made of some sort of ashy material that crumbled and reformed with every step. Dr. Blythe grabbed my collar, shoving me through the nearby doorway towards the entrance to Itaki's home and into the rain. It took a moment for my legs to function, frozen from shock.
Qara came next, followed by everyone except Ogasawara. I started to speak but Dr. Blythe cut me off.
"He's dealing with it! We need to go!" he shouted. I didn't consider the implications of leaving him behind then, instead running to the entrance of the house. More of the ashen humanoids blocked the way, flaking and disintegrating as they walked. Someone threw a rock at them, which blew a hole straight through the shoulder of the first creature. It filled in almost immediately, regenerating itself while the creature didn't even slow down. They entered Itaki's home, and that's when all hell broke loose.
The smoky cloud cover sprouted thin cracks and let loose a bolt of lightning, which streaked down to us in slow motion. When it hit the floor between us and the creatures, there was an explosion of light that seared my eyes. It felt like receiving a full-body light sunburn. When I was able to open my burnt eyelids, I was laying in the middle of the entrance, a smoking crater just a couple feet in front of me. All of the shadows had gone as well. I picked myself up on shaky legs, and took a few steps, feeling increasingly nauseous. A quick look at my hands revealed they were completely blistered, along with my arms.
The way was clear, and I grabbed the others, who were stumbling towards the exit, with one exception. Itaki kneeled in the ashes, face in his hands.
"Itaki! We need to get the fuck out of here NOW!" He turned his head slowly, shaking it.
"No, James. I cannot run from this." The ashes begin sifting around his body once more, planning to claim him for the walls, no doubt. This would be the only chance I'd have to grab him and escape with the others.