Aftermath and the Trauma of Being Left Behind

Around the world, countries woke to shattered realities. What was supposed to have been a mercy sacrifice to free up resources had instead become a catalyst for further collapse. Italy was all but lost within a few days. When the final numbers were counted, Greece had lost the highest percentage of its population, with twenty-nine percent gone in a single day. Japan had barely fared better. Over forty million people had agreed to take their lives across the country. Shops that had once been concerned about succession were now closed forever. Skills that had been passed down for generations were now lost to silence. The sounds of aged laughter within onsens and gaming halls had vanished, replaced now with a dread-filled stillness.

The four orphans of the group had spiraled into hysteria in the hours after Yuki’s call. Shiona and Kai were able to get everyone back into the van after an eternity of screaming and weeping. Once the group had fully exhausted themselves and the shock had shut down their nervous systems to a near-vegetative state, Kai manned the map and Shiona drove them back to their current hotel. That was where they stayed for the next week, with barely a word spoken between the group.

Shiona tried calling her family. Finally, after days of trying, her mother answered.

“Mom?!” Shiona asked in a whisper as tears formed in her eyes.

“Yes, we are all still alive. You do not need to worry about us,” her mother replied in a cold tone.

Shiona had not revealed it to her friends yet, but her family had kicked her out of the house the night before they left for their trip. Emboldened by Kureha’s request to be fully honest for the remainder of their existence, Shiona had revealed her scandalous side hustle to her family, telling them she did not feel ashamed. Her parents’ reaction was more intense than she had expected, and after two hours of shouting, her family severed itself from her. Even at the end of time, in the face of extinction and collapsing countries, her parents had chosen to cling to modesty over her.

That was why Shiona was surprised that her mother ever answered, even if it was in cold dismissal.

“I’m happy you are okay. Goodbye,” was all Shiona could say before hanging up.

Her tears arrived in full force, and she finally allowed herself to weep after days of holding it together for the sake of her friends. Kai was there in seconds, rubbing her back softly as he kissed her head. He had never even tried to contact his family. Something in him was already at peace, and he no longer felt a need to speak with them or work for reconciliation.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m sorry,” he whispered as he held her.

“What a truly awful end of the world. No heroics. No compassion. Just adults failing us again and again,” Shiona croaked through tears of anger.

“Yeah, I’d hoped there would be some sort of last stand or last ditch effort. But instead, it’s… this,” said Kai as he looked around the messy, depressed hotel suite living space.

Shiona’s tears continued as her body seemed to get smaller with each gasp of sorrow.

“Why don’t you rest? I’ll handle finding food,” said Kai.

Shiona hesitated, then nodded in acceptance.

“Can I join you?” Rin asked from the bedroom door.

She was small now. Standing there in only her undergarments and one of Arata’s shirts revealed the scope of her decay. After days of barely eating or drinking, on the verge of dehydration and full-body syncope, her already pale, petite figure seemed like it might blow away in a strong wind. Still, her eyes showed she did want to join Kai.

“I’d like to move a little,” she murmured.

“Sure, dear. I’ll wait. Let me know when you’re ready,” Kai said with a half-smile.

Rin returned to the room to grab her outer layers of clothes. Arata was still asleep. He had barely spoken since the call. Whereas he had so often been one of the first to formulate plans and take the lead, he had broken down to a point where Rin and Kai had to convince him to eat. Kureha was barely any better. Hate had consumed her entirely. Hope was gone. Waking each day felt like an effort to fight against an inevitable, unwinnable outcome. Her teeth had begun to hurt, and her mouth felt metallic after days of vomiting up anything solid. Riku only closed his eyes to sleep. Tears would occasionally form in a vain effort to coat his dried sclera, but they were rejected and would run down his face in silence.

Rin kissed Arata’s lips, causing his hand to reach for her in the darkened room.

“I’ll be right back. Shiona’s going to join you, okay?”

“Okay,” he whispered in reply.

Kureha was in bed by herself at that point. Rin approached her softly.

“Do you want to get in bed with Shiona and Arata?” Rin asked in a kind, quiet voice.

Kureha nodded and barely opened her eyes. Kai was there with a bottle of water for her.

“What day is it?” Kureha asked.

“I don’t know,” Kai said with a grin.

“It’s mid-April,” answered Arata from the bed.

Kureha sighed.

“We would have all been returning to school now…” she whispered to herself as Shiona entered the room and crawled into bed by Arata.

“Don’t think about that now,” said Rin as she helped Kureha to the bed.

But the realization stuck with Kureha as she pulled herself against Shiona, who in turn, felt Arata pulling her to him. The three of them fell asleep entangled in one another while Riku lay silent beside them in his own bed. His eyes were open.

Rin and Kai moved slowly as they made their way through the streets in desperate search for food. Supply chains were now fully ruined. If it wasn’t from Japan, it likely was gone from shelves for good.

“I would have liked to have some Korean snacks one last time,” Rin sighed as they left the third store in defeat.

Junk food was still relatively easy to find, but after several bouts of eating only processed throwaway snacks, the group needed real sustenance. It was ironic that the loss of steady commerce revealed how only non-essential goods remained in easy access. Decades of refining complex systems of consumption and instant gratification had prioritized fast, worthless items in place of what people actually needed. Now, shelves full of sugary waste sat waiting while hordes of populations begged for even one vegetable.

Eventually, after an hour of searching, a konbini was found that still had real fruit and vegetable smoothies and onigiri. That would be enough. Water bottles were thinning, and Kai realized they might soon have to plan for clean water supplies dwindling. His concerned look caught Rin’s attention.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing. Let’s get back to the group,” he said with a fake smile as he took her tiny arm in his.

Back at the hotel suite, food and drink were slowly passed around when the mouths were ready to consume. Riku lay alone through it all. Only after an hour of helping the others did Kai notice he was awake.

“Hey, are you hungry yet?” he asked Riku as he sat by his friend and felt his forehead for fever.

Riku shook his head and tears formed in his eyes.

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay. You can rest. There’s no rush,” said Kai.

“It’s not that,” Riku replied.

“What’s up?” asked Kai.

Riku hesitated. His eyes were blank husks by now. Color and light seemed to fade when they struck what was once white and vibrant. His cheekbones were more harsh in the uneven light.

“I… I don’t know if I can do this…” said Riku as his voice shook.

Something in his tone caused the others to look over at their friend.

“I… I don’t know if I can go on…” he added.

“Do you want to go back to Arashiyama?” Rin asked.

“No… I don’t know… if I can go on living. I don’t think I want to do this anymore. I don’t think I want to see the end of everything. I… I think I want to die…” he said as he began to weep.