Shimu was staring at the wall. His eyes had fixed on a painting: Pieter Bruegel the Elder's The Fall of the Rebel Angels, which depicts the banished angels and Lucifer's descent. Shimu especially felt some pleasure, more than sexual pleasure, for Lucifer. Turning to one of his acolytes, he said,
"Get ready—we're going to find our father."
As leader of this cult, Shimu had already sacked countless military bunkers, but they still hadn't found Lucifer. They'd stuffed the children they'd captured from those bunkers into trucks as offerings to the Devil. All five hundred members of the cult wore radiation-blocking suits—proof that they'd destroyed even more shelters. To Shimu, this wasn't mere banditry but a sacred mission for Lucifer. The deaths of so many people were nothing but stepping stones. His true aim was to awaken Lucifer on Earth, and he was prepared to do anything for that—even kill children. Demons? He didn't give a damn about them.
In the shelter, Rei asked his son a question.
"Hey Kaito, are there many shelters like ours?"
"Yes, Dad."
"Does this one have a name?"
"TES-0809. Done? You ready?"
"I was wondering if we could stop by another shelter to gather information from the people. After all, you're a soldier and you hold a high rank."
"That's not possible anymore. The government has fallen."
"What do you mean?!"
"I mean there's no system left to protect us. Every living thing outside this shelter is our enemy now, Father. If you've finished talking, let's go."
"All right…"
"Our main goal is to find my mother. Of course, I told people a different story so they wouldn't suspect us. Keep up with me—it's just the two of us. I've handed over the chain of command here to Kuragari."
A massive door swung open before us. My son and I were ready to head into the city. My pack was stuffed full of food, first-aid supplies, water…
Then I saw the city's true state: every building was in rubble, vegetation had sprouted everywhere, and radiation must have altered how living things evolved.
"Even if we don't see people, there's a high chance we'll run into irradiated animals. Keep your eyes peeled, Dad. That's why we're armed."
"All right, Kaito."
How many months had I been living in this hell? Was I really able to leave this place as if nothing had happened and go to work? My stomach churned again…
"We'll be home within thirty minutes. Until then, watch our backs."
"Okay, okay."
I said it again. Looking around, it felt like a
silent inferno: abandoned streets… abandoned cars… abandoned restaurants… and, worst of all, the occasional corpse—baby corpses too.
"Dad, are you all right?"
"Do you think so, son? How would you feel if you had to spend six months in this fucking place pretending nothing had happened?"
My son fell silent, and didn't say a word. I must have been right. But that wasn't the point—our real objective was to find Kiara.
After a long journey, we arrived home. We lived on the fourth floor of a four-story building. We climbed up and stood in front of the apartment door.
"Kaito, I think we should knock."
"All right, Dad."
We knocked. No one answered. We knocked again—still nothing.
"Never mind. I'll break the door down."
The door wasn't even locked. Kaito dashed inside before my eyes—but one crucial thing remained: my beloved wife was nowhere to be found.
To Be Continued...