Chapter 2: Crimson Hunger
With everything I think I will need stuffed into a small bag that I clutch onto tightly, I make it to the edge of town and spot Kage. He montions with his hands to hurry. I take off at full speed, my long red hair at the mercy of the wind. My speed is what Kage always complimented about me. Both my running speed and the speed at which I strike with my daggers. I have a feeling he just wanted me to run in order to gauge exactly how fast I can go right now.
"Whoa!" I yell as I speed right passed him when I try to halt myself. I shift my momentum with my legs and launch myself in the opposite direction. I stop properly this time and pant for a good minute.
"A bit overzealous, huh?" Kage muses. "Are you excited, dear girl?"
"Yes. I'm excited to finally bear the fruits of my training." I rasp breathlessly.
"While I understand your excitement, this is serious. If the source of the sandstorms is what I fear, then this will be very dangerous. Promise me you will be cautious, Rose."
I nod honestly. Being talked to like that would most like upset most women in their early twenties like me, but I know it isn't condescending. Kage is a man who cares like a loving parent. I'm not sure if he has ever had a child, though he would make an excellent father. With his warning, we depart to the north.
"Do you believe there are any people in the world who survived other than the people in Shirou?" Kage asks suddenly after we make our way up a massive sand dune. His question surprises me.
"There must be. I mean, the world is massive. There can't be just a small village of people left in the world, right?"
"Very optimistic of you, Rose..." His voice trails off solemnly.
Kage's response is very out of character. While I understand pessimism in a situation so grim, Kage is usually quite positive. Noone knows exactly what caused the world to grow so barren of life. A little over a year ago, there was a bright flash that blinded me through the window I was staring out of. I passed out, along with my dad, and I awoke in the middle of the desert I now call my home. From there, I met the equally confused and scared people who soon became the residents of Shirou. We haven't met any other person in the time since we all awoke.
I'm snapped out of my reminiscing thought process by a startled gasp. Kage's face is full of astonishment. I follow his gaze and find out why. A swirling vortex of sand extends high into the sky. Directly in the center of the tornado is a black structure around the height of a normal house. There are no windows, and I can just barely make out a door through the swirling sand.
"It would appear this is the place. Hard to believe we have never ventured out this far in this direction to see it."
We stare in awe at the vortex. Kage then starts walking towards it. I hesitantly follow. A chill runs down my spine when I look at the black structure, one that makes me wish with all my being that I could turn back immediately. But this is my first mission. I can't leave my teacher behind on my first chance to prove myself. Swallowing my fear, I trail behind Kage until we are so close to the vortex that I have to struggle to keep my footing.
"What do we do now? I couldn't walk another step if I tried." I shout over the roar of the vortex.
"Take my hand."
His request baffles me, but I obey. As soon we clasp hands, he rushes forward. I am dragged along like an awkward ragdoll as Kage braves the hellish winds. I feel the little skin that is exposed through my clothes get ravaged with cuts, but after a moment of pain, I fall directly in front of the door to the black building. Kage stands next to me, panting and nursing the cuts that line his face.
"What did you just do?" I ask breathlessly.
"Something reckless. I apologize, Rose. But we made it through in one piece even if you lost your bag of supplies." Kage says in a playful manner.
I don't care about my bag that must've gotten torn to shreds, I'm too busy stopping the bleeding of my various wounds. A loud creaking fills the air. I see Kage opening the pure black door and regain my composure. We both walk through and emerge in a massive dark room. I try to take in my surroundings, but I can't see a thing. Right as I prepare to ask Kage if he can see anything, a dim light switches on.
Then we see it. As far as we can see, the walls are painted a very deep red. It isn't until I hear a loud dripping noise that I see the red paint oozing. That isn't paint, it's blood! The sickening stench of death fills my nostrils, a scent I have never experienced before. It brings me to my knees. I see the same thing happen to Kage. I slowly get to my feet and walk forward.
After the initial shock, I can think clearly. I examine everything around, now fully visible. Kage shouts something behind me, but I can't hear him. I feel drawn to the hallway stretched out in front of me. Drawn to the walls deeper in. Drawn to the blood and viscera strewn across the walls. I take slow steps down the hallway in seach not of the blood that now seems so appealing to me but in search of what has made me feel this way.