The Abandoned Town

The first light of dawn crept over the horizon, painting the sky in shades of purple and orange. Asahi stirred, the cold air biting at his exposed skin. His body ached from sleeping on the ground as well as from the wounds he had sustained earlier, but for once, he didn’t mind. He sat up and stretched his stiff muscles.

He glanced towards the tent when Haruto emerged, rubbing his eyes. “Damn, my back is killing me,” he muttered. He blinked at Asahi. “You actually slept outside all night?”

Asahi shrugged. “Felt nice.”

Haruto snorted. “You’re weird.”

Asahi didn’t argue. Instead, his gaze drifted to the easel beside him. The painting of the night sky, with soft strokes of deep blue and distant stars, sat there, unfinished but oddly peaceful. He traced a finger over the dried paint, lost in thought.

“Is staring at the painting all you plan on doing today?”

Asahi huffed. “Obviously not. I’m just appreciating the beauty of my ‘work of art’.”

“’Work of art’ huh? Well, I do admit that it is beautiful. But we have a long way to go. So, pack it up.”

He hesitated for a moment before picking it up and sliding everything back into his bag.

They shared a light breakfast – nothing more than dry crackers and the last bit of canned food. It barely felt edible, but it was better than nothing. Haruto chewed slowly as he glanced around the field. “We should get moving,” he said. “We’re still a long way.”

Asahi nodded. Without another word, they packed up their belonging and stamped out the last embers of the fire before setting off.

After hours of walking, the rural landscape finally gave way to the outskirts of a suburban town. Or at least, what used to be one. The moment, they stepped into the town’s perimeter, an eerie stillness settled over them.

Buildings stood hollow and broken, their windows shattered and their walls marred with scorch marks and graffiti. Cars lay abandoned in the streets, some flipped over and others burnt beyond recognition. A foul stench lingered in the air – a mix of rotting food, mildew, and something more sinister.

The roads were cracked and littered with debris. Storefronts were looted, shelves overturned, their contents spilling onto the ground. The town was empty.

Asahi kept his hands close to his pockets. “This place is a graveyard,” he muttered. “At least Tokyo had people. This place is completely abandoned, and eerily silent.”

Haruto scanned their surroundings. “People probably fled when things started falling apart.”

The stillness was unnerving. There was no wind, no chirping birds, no signs of life except for the occasional rat scurrying through the ruins.

“This place…” Haruto murmured. His voice carried through the empty air.

Asahi turned toward him. “You’ve been here before?”

Haruto didn’t respond immediately. He kicked at a stray can on the ground, watching as it rattled away. “Yeah. A long time ago.”

For a while, they walked in silence. The air grew thick, filled with something unspoken. It wasn’t until they passed an old café that Haruto finally spoke again.

“This town… It used to be alive. Families, students , shopkeepers – people filled the streets, running from one place to another. I used to come here a lot with… the one whom I loved with everything I had, Aiko.”

Asahi glanced at him but gave no reply.

Haruto nodded, his expression unreadable. “It was out favorite spot. We’d walk these streets, get coffee at that café over there. She always got a matcha latte, even though she hated it.” He gestured to the ruined shop. “We had our routines. Little things. Stupid things.” He forced a chuckle, but there was no humor in it. “And now? Nothing left. Just another corpse of a town.”

Asahi said nothing. There was a weight to Haruto’s words, something he was trying too had to bury beneath his usual aloofness.

The conversation died there. The town swallowed them in its silence once more.

As they moved further in, they stumbled upon an old bicycle stand. The bikes were covered in dust and rust. Some had flat tires while others had missing chains. But among them, a few still seemed unable.

Haruto tested a few of them, spinning the pedals. “Not bad. Looks like these ones still work.”

Asahi raised an eyebrow. “So, we’re stealing bikes now?”

Haruto smirked. “I doubt anyone’s coming back for them. Besides, if you want to walk all the way, then its your choice. But I’m taking the bike.”

Without further argument, they each took a bicycle and started pedaling through the wrecked streets. The breeze against their faces was oddly refreshing. And, it was way better than walking.

Haruto, however, kept glancing over his shoulders. Something felt off. He saw a shadow move in the distance but tells himself it’s just his imagination. It was just a hunch, but…

“Are we being followed?”, he thought to himself.

But he shook the thought right away. It was just a hunch after all, and there no way to confirm it. Besides, they had more pressing concerns.

He tightened his grip on the handlebars. “Let’s keep moving.”

Asahi, oblivious to Haruto’s unease, simply nodded.

Minutes stretched into an hour as they weaved through the ghost town. Every turn revealed more destruction. At one point, they passed a half-burned newspaper stand. The headlines, long faded and dirt-stained, still clung to the paper:

“WORLD LEADERS SILENT ON THE PACIFIC EXPLOSION”

“THE VEIL HAS BEEN TORN – WHAT DOES IT MEAN?”

“RUMOURS HINT AT ISHIKAWA’S INVOLVEMENT”

Asahi’s breath hitched for a fraction of a second. Just then, Haruto called out to him.

“Is something the matter?”

“…No. Let’s keep going.”

They kept going. Eventually, they reached an old half-destroyed grocery store. Its front entrance was barely held together. The glass doors had been shattered and inside, the shelves were toppled over and most of its contents were long looted.

Haruto dismounted first. “Let’s see if we can find anything useful here,” he said.

Asahi nodded, following him inside. They moved carefully, stepping over broken bottles and scattered packing, scanning for anything edible or remotely useful. Most of what remained behind was either rotten or already taken, but they managed to gather a few sealed cans, bottled water, and a box of protein bars.

Just as they were about to leave, a sudden, piercing scream rang out from deeper inside the store.

Asahi froze. Haruto snapped his towards the sound. It was coming from the staff room. And it wasn’t just a scream – there were voices. Male voices.

Someone was in trouble.