Hollow

Twenty minutes later.

The armoured truck was driving through the streets of a dead Tokyo. The destroyed cityscape flew past the windows, a blur of darkness and crumbling skyscraper's.

Kazu was at the wheel, gripping the steering wheel tightly as he navigated through the bumpy old road. Hiroshi sat beside him, staring out the window. The eerie sight of the desolate city was unnerving and even he couldn't deny that he was a bit on edge. The truck was moving slowly, probably because of the debris scattered on the roads which Kazu had to avoid. He sighed, checking his watch.

They were making good time so far.

"How much longer?" Kazu asked, breaking the silence that had enveloped the truck. He was trying to sound casual but there was a hint of unease in his voice.

Hiroshi glanced at his watch before replying, "Shouldn't be more than 5 minutes."

There was a moment of silence before Kazu spoke again. "This place gives me the creeps, especially at night," he confessed, his gaze firmly fixed on the road.

Tokyo, Japan.

It was located on the island of Honshu which is the biggest of the islands which make up japan, near the southern

Tip of the plains of the dead and, just outside a patch of woodland's which were radiated called the radiated forest. It used to be the capital of japan, its population used to be exceptional.

That was until it was nuked during world war III.

The truck suddenly went over a particularly deep pothole, causing everyone inside to jolt forward slightly.

"Sorry," Kazu apologized. Even though he was being careful, the truck's suspension only did so much against the decaying roads.

The once bustling city was replaced by a barren wasteland, covered with a layer of ashy snow. The poor visibility was further worsened by the heavy smog that engulfed the area, reducing the view to a few dozen meters ahead.

The nuclear bomb that struck Tokyo was colossal in size. It had a yield of 50,000 kilotons, creating a fireball with a radius of 6.7 kilometers, and the explosion was powerful enough to travel through the atmosphere, leaving a trail of radioactive contamination behind.

The number of victims was staggering, with more than 7 million people losing their lives and around 9 million more injured. This tragic event occurred during the middle phases of World War Three.

The nuclear explosion left a crater in the city center the size of a small mountain. In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, the temperature reached over 300 degrees Celsius, burning everything in sight.

The radiation, however, was the real cause of concern. The fallout from the blast spread for miles, contaminating the soil, water, and air, making them highly toxic, and completely unfit for human activity.

As a result, the entire city had been abandoned and designated as an exclusion zone.

Ever since then, it had been abandoned and Neo-Tokyo had been made its successor and the new capital.

"you know my grandpa died here."

The sudden statement caught Hiroshi off guard. He was snapped out of his thoughts as he turned to look at Kazu.

He was silent for a moment, processing the information before he responded quietly, "I didn't know."

"It was a long time ago," Kazu said softly, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "He was on a business trip there at the time when the first nuke struck. They never found his remains."

"I'm sorry." There was a pause before he continued, "That must have been terrible."

"I mean not really, i wasn't all that close to him but it still kinda hurt."

He just nodded in acknowledgment and said, "Loss is never easy, even if the bond wasn't particularly close."

"Yeah, the only thing I don't want to lose now is Sachiko. After i gather enough money I'm thinking about marrying her and going somewhere else."

"Abroad?"

"Yeah, abroad. New Zealand maybe? I've heard there's still a ton of greenery and lots less pollution there."

"New Zealand?" Hiroshi mulled over that idea in his mind. It was definitely going to be expensive, and the immigration process was also a pain, but for those with money, things like that can be easily solved.

He nodded approvingly. "Sounds like a good idea, especially the greenery part."

"Sachiko's on board with the plan I presume?"

"No, i haven't really told her that. She doesn't have anything to stay here for, no pets, family etc. Her parents died quite a while ago and instead of working in a brothel in some red light area, she asked me for help."

"well good for her.."

Just then, out of nowhere, their truck shook as if they had fallen into a large pothole.

"Goddamn it…" Kazu muttered, wincing at the impact. He hit the accelerator but the truck wouldn't budge. It was stuck.

Kazu tried shifting into a different gear but it was useless. The tires spun in vain, unable to get a good enough grip on the road. The truck was well and truly stuck.

Kazu sighed, a hint of frustration was evident in his voice. "So much for making good time."

"Should we go out and check?"

Kazu looked reluctant. Going outside meant risking exposing themselves to the contaminated atmosphere. But it was a risk they had to take. "We don't have much choice, do we?" he said, unhappily.

Kazu took a flashlight from the dashboard and switched it on before turning to Hirsohi. "Alright, let's be quick."

Kazu unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door, stepping out of the truck. He took a deep breath, the polluted air filling his lungs. The visibility outside was poor. A thick, grey smog hung in the air, obscuring their vision to about a few meters. Hiroshi followed behind him, taking his own flashlight out and switching it on. Together, they approached the front of the truck to see what was wrong.

As they did, Kazu shone the light underneath and he grimaced. Now they could see the extent of the damage. A large chunk of the road was sunken, creating a makeshift ditch.

"Looks like we're not going anywhere anytime soon" Kazu said, his words laced with irritation

He moved closer to the front of the truck and shined the light over the tires. The tires were stuck between the crumbled road and the edge of the ditch. They were well and truly stuck.

Hiroshi looked to his sides, it seemed like an earthquake had happened cause most of the buildings, well houses to be exact were extremely damage compared to the one's before.

Kazu leaned against the front hood of the vehicle, letting out a frustrated sigh. It was going to take a hefty tow-truck to pull the damn thing out of the ditch. "This is just great," he muttered, crossing his arms. Hiroshi' walked back to and in the truck, picking up the radio and coming back with it.

The device crackled to life as soon as it was turned on.

"Let's see if we can get a signal." Hiroshi' pressed the call button and spoke into it. "Hello? Is there anyone there?"

Only static came in response. The signal was weak, likely due to the distance and the city's ruined infrastructure but then it picked something up.

"Hello, Kusonoki conglomerate HQ office, speaking from Neo-tokyo. How can I help you?"

Hiroshi let out a relieved sigh. Finally, they had someone on the other end. While headquarters would be less than thrilled about the predicament they were in, it was still better than being stuck in the middle of the death zone with no way to get out.

"I am an assistant manager from the Kobe branch who's in Tokyo with a group of mercenaries officially hired by the Kusonoki Conglomerate, our vehicle is stuck and won't move. We request aid."

There was a brief moment of radio silence before the person on the other end responded.

"Roger, your gps location has been tracked, it will take roughly an hour for help to get there because of bad weather conditions."

Hiroshi nodded, though the other person couldn't see it. The news wasn't exactly good but at least help was coming.

He spoke into the radio again, "Understood, we'll be waiting. Over and out."

Kazu, who had been standing nearby, raised an eyebrow. "An hour? You've got to be kidding me."

Hiroshi lowered the radio and replied, "Afraid not. Looks like we'll have to hunker down for a bit longer. At least we've got help on the way, we can just sit this out in the truck."

"Well, i guess, I'll inform everyone else in the back."

"Yeah, might as well do it." Hiroshi said, turning off the radio. Kazu walked over and entered the back of the truck, Hiroshi followed behind. Their teammates, who had been quietly sitting as the vehicle was in motion, looked up as the two men came in.

Kazu quickly explained the situation, "Bad news guys, we're going to be stuck here for a while. HQ is sending help but due to bad weather conditions, it's going to take an hour or more."

Some of the team members groaned at the news, particularly the ones who were getting antsy from sitting in one place for so long. But they didn't complain further. It was a setback, yes, but there was nothing they could do about the situation.

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Sachiko who had been sitting in the left most side of the truck in the very back walked and jumped out of the truck, landing next to Kazu almost as if she was about to hug him when landing but missed. Kazu, almost out of reflex, instinctively reached out to catch her, but missed as she already landed.

He let out an exasperated exhale, but then his expression softened as he saw her.

"Watch where you're going, you can't just jump out of the truck like that."

Sachiko looked sheepish, rubbing the back of her neck. "My bad, just felt a bit bored."

Kazu couldn't stay mad at her for long, her sheepish expression just too endearing to stay pissed at. "Next time just give me a warning before jumping out, okay?"

Sachiko nodded, a small apologetic smile on her face. "I will, I promise."

As the conversation ended, a cold gust of wind blew, causing the young woman to shiver. She rubbed her bare arms, trying to generate warmth. Hiroshi sighed in annoyance and then clenched his teeth, struggling to suppress his irritation and cold. It was November, and the absence of sunlight coupled with the radiation from the nuclear bombing had left the area unbearably cold. The temperature was a staggering 2 degrees Celsius. Hiroshi wasn't accustomed to such extreme temperatures, mostly cooped up in his heated house or office, where the temperature always hovered around a comfortable 27 to 28 degrees Celsius. In the city, it usually stayed between 12 to 14 degrees Celsius, but this was a whole new level of cold.

"well, what do we do now?" Sachiko asked.

"We wait."

"Fine."

Having said that, she went in the back and grabbed her thermal vision goggles.

"You aren't planning on going out there, are you?" Kazu asked, noticing the item she was holding.

Sachiko rolled her eyes. "no, just scouting the area. If anyone is here, maybe we could get some help from them."

She put them on her head carefully, they were quite heavy.

She looked around, for the most part the entire area was devoid of any life — except for one house. She saw a heat signature in one house and it looked humanoid.

She looked over at Hiroshi and Kazu, who were leaning against the truck.

"Guys..." her voice was quiet.

Hiroshi glanced at her, slightly curious. "What is it?"

She pointed towards the house she was referring to, "There's someone in there."

Hiroshi squinted, straining his eyes, but all he could see was an outline of a building in the haze.

"Are they alone?"

"Yes."

Hiroshi' turned to Kazu, "should we....go?"

Kazu looked a bit hesitant, he wasn't sure if it's a good idea to approach someone, especially in this place and time.

But then he glanced back at her, the temperature was dropping and she was starting to shiver visibly. He knew she wouldn't be able to stand the cold in this situation for much longer.

They needed shelter for her if help wasn't coming soon enough.

He reluctantly nodded, "Yeah, we should. Everyone come on out."

the rest of the team, stepped out of the truck, donning their masks. The masks, integrated into their suits, filtered out the toxic smog, protecting their breathing. As the team gathered around, they looked at the house that Sachiko had pointed out. It didn't seem like anything too remarkable, just a two-story building amongst the rubble. However, the prospect of earlier help was too much to resist and they were fully armed in case this person turned out to be hostile.

Their weapons were automatic rifles which they held in their hand, prepared for any unexpected threats. These modern rifles, released in 2100. They were streamlined, made of a lightweight alloy, and adorned with tactical attachments, such as scopes and foldable stocks. The rifles' precision and rapid-fire capabilities made them an effective tool for any combat situation.

The guns used by Kazu's team utilized advanced ammunition, firing small, high-velocity rounds known as Nano-carbide projectiles. These projectiles were made of an extremely hard, self sharpening material, capable of penetrating the toughest of armours. With each trigger pull, a burst of high-pressure propellant sent the projectile flying at supersonic speeds.

They were made by TecCorp and were called Nano-Carbide Assault Rifle (NCAR).

"Alright" Kazu said, addressing the group, "We're going to approach the house. Sachiko, stay close to me. So, where is this person? On the first or second floor?"

"Second."

"I see, let's get going then everyone."

Everyone had a in-built flashlight in their guns, they activated it — giving more clarity to their surroundings. They began to walk, the team, following Kazu's lead, trekked through the desolate, snow-covered streets towards the house that Sachiko had pinpointed as the source of the heat signature. Leaving footprints on the grey snow.

The journey was short — taking them only a few minutes until they reached their destination. A two-story house, mostly intact. It seemed to have been spared from the worst part of the blast. It had been abandoned since decades ago and now, in 2109, it showed the wear and tear of decades of neglect. The house's wood was rotting, and the windows were shattered, allowing the cold air to flow inside. Snow had piled up against the walls, and the front door hung loosely from its hinges, creaking eerily as it dangled in the chill air.

The team approached the front door. Kazu moved forward, signalling the others to wait back. He took a step close to the entrance, his boots sinking into the grey, crunchy snow. The hinges creaked softly as he touched the door. He pressed lightly, testing its sturdiness. It was loose, one small push would open the door.

He glanced back at the group, giving them a nod before pushing at the door. It swung open with a loud groan, the hinges protesting loudly at being used after decades of immobility. A puff of cold air rushed out as the door opened.

Kazu stepped inside, the rest of the group waited nervously, half expecting something to leap out and attack them at that moment. But nothing did. Instead, the interior was almost the same as the outside — worn out and neglected. With the floors and walls covered in various debris. A thick layer of dust and dirt coated every surface, it was a miracle the roof hadn't collapsed yet.

The sound of a soft thud came from upstairs. Kazu stiffened instantly, his gun rising and his gaze snapping towards the staircase. The sound was quick, almost inaudible. If a pin were to drop at that moment, it would be the loudest thing in the world. Everyone grew tense, they all knew there was someone up there.

Kazu carefully made his way down the dusty hallway, the team following closely behind. When they reached the end, they encountered three rooms. Kazu attempted to open one of the doors, but it simply collapsed, hanging by a thread.

The team proceeded cautiously through the rooms they opened up, checking one by one. The first room was just a toilet, while the one on the left revealed a living room. The dust-covered furniture, including an ancient television that looked like it belonged in a museum.

The room's air was thick with the musty smell of decay, the floor creaking gently beneath their feet. A broken mirror hung on one of the walls, its shattered pieces reflecting faint glimmers of light that barely filtered in. A small coffee table rested in front of the old, worn-out couch, and the team felt like they had stepped back in time back into the 2020s, not that any of them were even alive back then.

Sachiko's gaze caught sight of a small photo frame lying on the floor. As she picked it up, she saw that the glass was cracked. A young Japanese boy, who appeared to be around 20 years old, was the focus of the picture, and he was standing in the center. Flanked by a middle-aged man on one side, presumably his father who looked to be in his 40s. On the boy's left stood a woman who was about the same age, likely his mother. They were likely the original residents of this house.

After the last member of Kazu's team had finished searching the remaining room, there was only one more place left to check – the second floor, where the heat signature had been picked up.

The team gathered together, Kazu gestured for Sachiko and Hiroshi to stay behind them, signaling that they would take the lead in exploring the upper floor.

The team carefully climbed the rickety staircase, ensuring that they didn't place too much weight on any of the steps. Every creak of the wood sent a subtle shudder through the structure, and they held their breath, fearing that the stairs might collapse under them.

Once they reached the second floor, they found themselves in a hallway. Three doors lined the walls on their right side. The heat signature was coming from the very end of the corridor. Kazu and the others exchanged glances, before continuing forward down the hallway. The floor slightly sagged under their weight.

They stopped short of the last room, the floorboards creaking a bit louder than the others because all of a sudden, their electronic devices like their suits which gave them heat etc had stopped working.

An EMP.

Kazu and the others immediately halted, looking at each other in confusion. The sudden failure of their tech had caught them off guard, especially given their dependence on them to detect potential threats and provide information.

"What the hell.." Kazu muttered, pressing a button on his arm-guard to try and revive it. But the device remained dead.

The others tried to do the same, checking their own tech, only to find that everything had suddenly gone off. "Everyone," Kazu whispered, "Switch to manual mode. Our tech isn't responding, something's wrong."

After saying that, he looked at the door in front of him. "Might as well", he said to himself.

Kazu wasted no time and kicked open the door, it fell down with a loud thud. He lead the entire team to storm into the room, their guns raised and ready. The sight that greeted them was not that of a normal man but rather something monstrous. A figure sat on the old bed, an abomination instead of a human...A demon.

——————————————————

Hiroshi ishikawa who had led a sheltered life in a protected household, had experienced very few dangerous situations up until now.

He was a child of privilege, born into an affluent family that had made its fortune through high stakes investment and real-estate deals with the Kusonoki conglomerate thus he had close relations to them and this was how he had acquired his job in the conglomerate.

He had grown up in a protected, sheltered environment, rarely having faced any actual danger or adversity. The most he had ever been in danger was when he fell down from the stair's or got stung by a bee in a bio-dome.

He had not experienced any real physical threats, having lived most of his life under the protection and care of his parents. As such, he had always felt extremely safe and secure. He had graduated from the university of Tokyo and got his degree.

He had been raised within the upper class of society, rarely going down to the lower levels of Neo-Tokyo where people lived in the cold, hard reality. He was privileged and pampered, his parents spoiling him to no end. They never denied him any of the things he asked for, resulting in a person who was both highly intelligent and talented, but also extremely naive and privileged. He lived a good life at 25 years of age, he was handsome and had a bright future ahead of him with the Kusonoki conglomerate company – sure, he might never become it's ceo or a board manager but he would definitely become a manager or higher.

This was the future he wanted.

He could have a wife, even though he really wasn't that interested in it, have someone to continue his legacy because even he would die – if he could, he would like to love forever, but it's not like this is a fantasy world where he can become an undead or demon and be immortal.

Well, those are all fantasies if he lived, which he wasn't sure he was going to right now. Because, as he faced the demonic figure before him, he felt a surge of genuine fear. It was the first time he had experienced this, Pure dread.

While he was an educated man, he didn't believe in any sort of mythical creatures or monsters – but seeing it in front of him, all rationality was thrown out the window. He wasn't prepared to face this....this...thing. He couldn't even put it into words.

His body responded involuntarily to the intense fear coursing through his veins. His hands visibly trembled, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. His breathing became shallow, and his eyes widened in terror. Hiroshi looked as if he was frozen in place, caught in a state of paralysis.

All the training, knowledge, and experience in the world failed him at that moment. All of that education and understanding had prepared him for business negotiations and board meetings, but not this. Not the terror of staring face to face with a creature that should have only existed in nightmares. His chest felt heavy, as if a weight was pressing against him, making it harder to breathe.

The monstrosity facing Hiroshi stood 7 feet tall, towering over him. The creature's massive, black feathery wings were spread out, casting an ominous shadow in the room. Two jet-black horns sprouted from its head. It was clad in robes and cloth, as if it's a mage taken straight from a fantasy game.

A small, pitiful whimper escaped his lips, and he tried to take a step backward but his legs wouldn't move. It was a pitiful sight, watching a grown man reduced to this level of fear.

Despite a small, hopeful part of his mind trying to convince him that this was just a cosplayer, Hiroshi couldn't deny the obvious truth. This wasn't a mere costume, and if it was, it was the most elaborate and convincing one he had ever seen. But he realized that this was no mere costume. Every fiber of his being screamed that this was something far more sinister.

Every instinct in his body told him that this was not a human under a costume, but an actual creature from the depths of hell.

With every fiber of his body screaming to run, it took every ounce of his willpower not to turn and sprint back down the stairs. He clenched his fists and stood his ground, even as he could hear his own heartbeat thumping in his ears. He could feel the beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he swallowed hard. He was frozen in place, rooted to the spot. He stood there, eyes wide and mouth dry, staring at the beast who was the object of all his nightmares.

Hiroshi desperately tried to speak but found himself unable to utter a word. His fear reached its peak as he slowly shifted his gaze toward Kazu and his team. They were experienced fighters, having taken lives before. Surely they would remain composed and fight this creature, right? However, he saw that they were just as frozen as he was. If they, with their combat expertise, were also unable to respond, what hope did he, an average person, have?

Hiroshi was acutely aware that a single wrong move could lead to his demise. A strong survival instinct kicked in, Every fiber of his being screamed for him to do anything necessary to survive this encounter. It was a desperate fight for self-preservation against a creature beyond his comprehension and just then, the creature spoke —