“Watch out for any dogs,” said Philip. “Last thing we want is to end up like Hannah.”
“She was lucky,” explained Kamiyo. “A dog’s jaws are filthy, and her wounds were deep. If the antiseptic she brought had not been enough…”
“That’s why we’re out here,” said Philip. “We’ll find what we need.”
“The world is a garden,” said Aymun. “It shall provide.”
Kamiyo climbed up onto the thick roots of an oak tree and hopped over a tangle of bushes. When he landed, he turned back and waited for Philip and Aymun to do the same. Philip didn’t do it with the same grace, and his awkwardness betrayed his lack of agility, but Aymun seemed almost to float over the obstacle.
“Thanks for coming with me, guys. It took guts.”
Philip shrugged. “It doesn’t feel like that.”
“What do you mean?”
He stumbled a little through some weeds, but then made it up beside Kamiyo. “When I saw the demons on TV, it terrified me. Bray was with me, but my wife was at home. I tried calling, but she wouldn’t answer. I didn’t know whether to stay or leave, and both options scared the hell out of me. After a while, I knew my wife was dead, and some of that fear left me, but then…” He swallowed, visibly struggling. “When Bray died, the last of my fear went away. All that’s left now is this,” he gripped his stomach, “nothingness. It’s like I don’t care anymore. I know what’s right and what’s wrong, but… I don’t know. It’s not bravery that brought me here.”
“Depression,” said Kamiyo. “It’s a normal stage of grief, Philip, I promise. The good news is that it usually comes before acceptance. I am so sorry about Bray. I wish I had done something more; that I was a better doctor.”
Philip nodded, but gave no indication of how he felt. “If I make it back to the castle in one piece, perhaps I’ll eventually feel different. But if I die out here, I don’t care.”
“To die is not something of which to be ashamed,” said Aymun, “so long as it is not done so willingly. You must fight to live, Philip.”
Kamiyo stared hard at Philip. “I won’t let you give up. Bray might be gone, but there’re three dozen kids behind us that need you. There aren’t many adults left, and without us, those kids will grow up with none of the things we need to teach them. You were a businessman before all this happened, Philip, and it’s obvious you were a good father. The kids need to learn from you. Heck, maybe I do too.”
Philip sighed and then looked away with an awkward grunt. “Thank you for saying that. And… thank you for trying to help my son.”
It didn’t feel right to say, ‘You’re welcome,’ so Kamiyo just left it at that.
They walked in silence for another hour until they found the road. It was still early, so the sun was bright and blinding. After several days of dreary, cloud-covered days, the weather was pleasant.
They exited by the coach Hannah had told them to look out for, then headed along the road. They kept to the ditch, ready to dash back into the trees at the first sign of trouble. The good thing about being a wasteland survivor in the UK was that it never took long before a road took you somewhere. What nightmare must it have been in rural America or mainland China? There you could walk a hundred miles and still find nothing. Both were countries Kamiyo had one day hoped to visit, but was there anyone left who could fly a plane?
Maybe in Portsmouth?
Would rescue ever come? It felt impossible.
Just focus on the now. And the now is an imminent castle siege by a horde of demons. Today’s Netflix special…
“Bray would have loved this,” said Philip after a while of walking. “He was breaking his neck to get out of the forest. Adventure was his middle name.”
Kamiyo chuckled. “I was always stuck indoors reading as a kid. Looking back, I think Bray had the right idea. Life is for the living. I wish I’d done a bit more adventuring in my younger days.”
“You’re still young,” Philip commented, “but I understand what you’re saying. I worked so hard to make a fortune, to make a life for my family, but all I did was end up being away from them. If I’d known things would end up like this…”
“That’s how I feel,” said Kamiyo. “I spent my life studying for a future that no longer exists. All that hard work was supposed to pay off later, but now there is no later.”
“I spent my life fighting for a lost cause,” said Aymun. “I could have devoted myself to peace and love, but I convinced myself I was put on Earth to fight my enemies. It appears we all three spent our lives unwisely.”
They walked for perhaps another couple of miles, the road going by fast. Philip was running out of breath, not as seasoned as Kamiyo or Aymun. For Kamiyo, there was a comforting familiarity about being lost on the road again. You never knew what bounty you would find next. Or what danger. The unknown could excite, even if it terrified.
The outskirts of a town formed, and they passed a row of terraced cottages. Next, they passed a builder’s yard and a church. Ten minutes after that, they spotted a supermarket—and then two more right behind it. The three glass and brick buildings clustered together, competing via their giant signs and posters.
“Wow,” said Philip. “That actually turned out to be pretty easy. I thought we’d get ripped apart by demons the moment we stepped out of the forest, but we haven’t seen a single one.”
Kamiyo nodded. “They move in packs. Sometimes you can go days without seeing any if you avoid the towns and cities. Stay on your toes though. You never know when
