Chapter 34

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With their weapons ready, Kai and Kaori slowly made their way inside the market. Their senses were only sharpened by the silence that met them, and the overturned tables and deserted stalls served as a sobering reminder of the world that was lost.

The market's ruins spread out in front of them, demonstrating how quickly the city had suffered a disaster. With his eyes darting from one shadow to the next, searching for any indication of movement, Kai's footsteps pattered quietly down the pavement.

The shadows tricked their eyes, making the current state of the market appear ominous and alive in the faint light of the market. Around the ruined produce, fruit flies swarmed nonstop, adding an unsettling soundtrack to the silence.

With their goods scattered all over the floor and coated in a thin coating of rot and dust, the upturned stalls stood like gloomy sentinels. The jagged edges of the broken glass glinted in the faint light, a quiet reminder of the brutality that had taken place here.

Stepping over the debris that covered the floor, Kai and Kaori cautiously made their way into the market. The shattered vases and shattered jars appeared to describe a desperate attempt to escape the evil that had befallen the city.

A row of broken display cases stood like tombstones at the far end of the market, its broken glass bouncing broken prisms over the walls in the dim light of the setting sun. The air held the aroma of long-forgotten and faded spices and herbs, a somber reminder of the life that had previously inhabited this space.

In the silence, the only sound was the soft scrape of their boots against the pavement, and the occasional clatter of broken glass or metal. They stopped at an overturned table, its surface covered in dried bloodstains, the gruesome testament to the horror that had occurred here.

Kaori's eyes narrowed, her gaze sweeping the shadows. "We need to find what we came for," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "And we need to find it quickly."

Kai nodded, his eyes fixed on the overturned table. "We should start with the pharmacy," he murmured, his voice a low rasp in the stillness. "If we can find antibiotics and bandages, it will give us a start."

They made their way towards the pharmacy store that was just behind a stand. They headed for the row of overturned shelves, the shelves that had once held medicines and supplies now empty, the only evidence of their contents the scattered bottles and plastic containers that littered the ground.

Kai and Kaori began to search through the wreckage, their hands deftly sifting through the rubble as they scavenged for supplies.

Amidst the broken vials and shattered glass, they uncovered a few partially intact bottles of antibiotics and a roll of gauze, their value in this new world beyond measure.

Kaori tucked the supplies into her pack, her eyes scanning the market for any other signs of life. "We should keep moving," she whispered. "There's no telling if the Yomigaeri will return."

When Kaori's foot caught on something while they were searching, she staggered forward and her eyes widened to see a dried-up corpse laying in front of her.

The ravages of time had long since claimed the body; the bones could be seen beneath the taut, withered skin. A yawning crater in the stomach exposed the horrors that had taken the victim's life, a graphic illustration of the Yomigaeri's savagery.

Kaori stumbled backward in shock, her body slamming against a shelf. As she recoiled from the lifeless form, a second body tumbled from the shelf, crashing onto her with a sickening thud.

The face of the corpse was mere inches from her own, its sunken eyes staring blankly into hers, its lips pulled back in a perpetual rictus grin. The stench of rot and decay filled her nostrils, and Kaori recoiled, a scream rising in her throat.

In an instant, Kai was at her side, his hand clamped over her mouth, muffling the scream that had begun to form on her lips. He moved quickly, shoving a wad of gauze between her teeth to silence her before the sound could give them away.

For a moment, Kaori was frozen in fear, her body trembling as she stared into the empty eyes of the corpse.

With a quiet curse, Kai quickly pulled the corpse away from Kaori, his hands moving with a practiced efficiency. He could feel the tremors that wracked her body as he took her hand, his grip strong and steady.

For a brief moment, the corners of his lips twitched in a suppressed laugh at the absurdity of the situation, but he quickly suppressed it, knowing the dire consequences of making even the slightest sound.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, a silent gesture of support and reassurance, his eyes searching hers for a sign that she was ready to continue.

As Kai's gaze met hers, Kaori's tremors began to subside, her resolve hardening as she took in the gravity of their situation. She nodded once, her jaw tight with determination, and Kai returned the gesture, his grip on her hand tightening.

Together, they continued their search through the pharmacy, moving with cautious precision, their ears straining to catch any hint of danger. The shadows seemed to dance and shift, as if taunting them with the knowledge that they were not alone in this place of death.

With a last, wary glance around the pharmacy, Kai and Kaori slipped out into the main market once more. The acrid stench of decay and death hung heavy in the air, the shadows seeming to close in around them like predatory beasts.

They moved quickly but silently, their eyes darting from one darkened corner to the next, their ears tuned to the slightest sound of movement. Every step was a gamble, a risk that the Yomigaeri might yet return.

But they knew they had to press on.

As they scavenged through the wreckage of the market, their hands deftly plucking useful items from the rubble, the tension in the air seemed to grow thicker, the silence almost suffocating.

A faint scuffling sound echoed from the far side of the market, and Kai and Kaori froze, their eyes meeting in a silent exchange of alarm. With a slow, measured movement, Kai signaled for Kaori to take cover behind a fallen table. He moved toward the sound, his dagger drawn and ready.

The scuffling grew louder, more insistent, the sound of nails scraping against the concrete floor. Kaori watched from behind the table, her heart hammering against her ribs as she waited, her breath held in anticipation.

As Kai reached the source of the scuffling, he saw that the Yomigaeri was trapped beneath a fallen shelf, its limbs thrashing in a futile attempt to free itself. It snarled and snapped at the air, its eyes glittering with hunger and madness.

With a silent nod, Kai backed away from the creature, returning to Kaori's side. He gave her a grim smile, his voice a quiet whisper. "Just a small one, trapped beneath a shelf," he said. "We should leave before it gets free."

With their scavenging complete, Kai and Kaori moved quickly through the market, their footsteps light and silent. They could still hear the Yomigaeri thrashing behind them, its inhuman cries echoing through the deserted aisles.

As they slipped out of the market, the last rays of sunlight were fading from the sky, casting the city in the shadows of dusk. The streets seemed even more dangerous in the gathering darkness, the shadows lengthening and distorting.