Page 19

Wrath

TOMOE

I’d awoken not to noise, but a vision.

My family was sitting around the coffee table in the living room wearing the same clothing from when I’d decided to call it a night and head to bed. A makeshift gag stuffed my mother’s mouth, her cries lost behind the cloth. My sisters rocked back and forth, wiggling beneath the ties that were now secured around their ankles and wrists.

Crashing came from the kitchen. There were people in there, raiding through our food, medicine, and cutlery.

“There anyone else in this house?” a booming voice asked, face out of view.

“No,” my father said, his tone firm, giving nothing away.

A yelp sounded to my right, and my head turned. The man at the edge of my sight was ordinary looking, but a permanent cruel snarl appeared across his filthy face. My little sister crunched over, gasping for air, her forehead taking on the weight of her body.

I’m speaking, except I’m not. “No. There’s no one else here.” The voice is small but fierce. “It’s just us. There’s no one else.”

My sister Kana. It was a lie. I’m here. I’d gone to bed early that night, not feeling well and leaving my family to finish playing board games. Something we’d done much of as of late.

The scene changed. My sisters were being dragged from the house. The living room was a mess, lost to the chaos of a good fight. Kana glanced around the room, making sure she’d take in every detail. An addition to the long list of secrets the two of us developed. That explained the vividness of my vision. I’d never had one this clear before. They were usually only small glimpses of an interaction never lasting more than a few seconds.

To my horror, this one lasted minutes. Our father was yelling, screaming for the men to not take his girls. My sisters were not defenseless. They had learned to defend themselves through martial arts as children. They would not go easily.

“No! No!” my father pleaded, the man’s boots driving into his ribs. A loud crack sounded over the mayhem as he buckled over.

My mother was on her side, trying to wiggle her way toward my sisters. Her efforts futile and words caught on the cloth still placed into her mouth.

I sat up in bed with a gasp, coming too. “Damnit,” I muttered, cursing myself for not having any weapons in my room.

Poor planning on my part. My grandfather’s katana would have to do. I’d practiced with it many times for fun, but never intended to use it as a weapon. Wasn’t sure how it’d hold up.

It was well made. He’d crafted it as a young boy, taught by his own father, who’d been taught by his own. It was then passed down to my father, who, in turn, passed it to me. I wasn’t the oldest, or the youngest. But I’d shown the most interest. Asked the most questions as a kid, wanting to document my family’s history in my journal.

I slipped off my socks, not wanting them to be a disadvantage against the wood floors throughout my family home. Light on the balls of my feet, I closed the door to my room and crept down the hallway. I froze, startled as someone turned the corner. The shock on his face matched my own as I forced myself to focus, eyes scanning his body for any weapons. He had none within reach. None of that mattered. A knife would be nothing against the length of my katana. I swung without a second thought, his head falling to the floor before he could muster a warning to any others.

Yeah, this will do just fine.

Downstairs was quiet. Too quiet for anyone to be putting up a fight anything close to what I’d seen in my vision. The tang of iron hit my nostrils as my feet hit the last step, and I rounded the corner. Too late . I’d been too late. Two strange men stood over my sister’s bodies, dragging them like dismembered mannequins after a holiday sale.

What was once the side of Kana’s beautiful face, was now nothing more than a clump of exposed muscles. Three undead pieces of shit lay sprawled off to the side, knives through their skulls. The stillness of my body and shadows in the downstairs hallway helped me avoid detection as the men made their way out the front door. I’d deal with them later.

Rustling came from the kitchen. Another set of men made their way into the living room, arms full of food, and my mother’s jarred tea. Idiots . I’d bet my life on their assumption of it being some sort of ale in its dark coloring. Their shirts were covered in dark blood, faces ashen, remnants of fear in every step they took. They were jumpy. On edge as they kept peering over their shoulders toward the back door. Open . This had been unplanned. Unexpected.

My vision from earlier had changed as quickly as it had arrived. Fate having other ideas on how my family would meet their end. The undead had entered through the backdoor, foolishly left open from these assholes’ own intrusion. Diverting their plans and ruining my chances of saving my family.

I glanced back at their waistlines—knives again. No guns. My reach would be further than theirs, but I was outnumbered. I’d have to be both silent and quick. I could be quiet, but I wasn’t sure I was capable of being quick. I could fight, yes. A damn good fighter too, but this … this was new. My family had been cooped up in our home since the world had ended many moons ago. We went out when we had to, but for the most part had managed to get by with minimal confrontation.

They stepped over something on the floor. My eyes shot to the ground, following their movements. On the ground, my father lay in a pool of blood, slumped atop my mother with part of his neck absent. Her eyes wide, as if she’d seen their final moment coming. Even tied up, my father’s last efforts were to protect my mother.

I charged forward and lost myself to blind fury.

My katana swung through the necks of the men, not letting them get close enough to grab or stab at me. One lost his hand in the process, forcing the others who fled my parents’ room at the commotion to attempt to tackle me, lunging and limbs flailing wildly. Untrained .

I regained control outside. Rain slicked my hair flat against my skull as I stumbled over Kana’s crumpled body, hand on my other sister’s—June—stomach, wanting to cover the bite marks that now exposed her intestines. The smooth porcelain skin no more.

I removed my hand as I wished Kana peace into the next life, not wanting to drag June into the unknown. Kana and I had been treading a very thin line. The idea of possessing unknown magic intriguing us, sending us down a rabbit hole to learn more. Obtain all the knowledge we could, a dance with darkness. Except it wasn’t dark. Not to us. It brought us comfort. Brought us peace.

“Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in the sure and certain hope of rebirth,” I said, using my blade to make a small cut on my palm to drop over Kana’s body.

Short on time and unsure if they had more men headed our way, I made my way inside. Desperate to honor my sister properly, I stepped over the dead to gather the candles from the living room. There was no accelerant. We hadn’t needed any with my family all possessing fire in their veins.

My sister would not get the burial or cremation she deserved. None of them would. Placing the candles around her body, I sniffled, pulling a lighter from my pocket and leaning it close to the sleeve of her shirt.

A soft whimper sounded over the rain. In a meditative state, I walked a few feet away. Taking my time, ensuring the last few moments of his life were spent in excruciating pain. Wanting him to know that he’d begged for his life to no avail.

“Please … help. I’m … I’m sorry,” the last of the band of thieves said, wincing under the weight of my bare foot now pressed into his ribs. “I didn’t wanna come. They made?—”

“You should be,” I said.

Letting Wrath guide me, his head rolled.