text: [Themes: horror, action]
  
  I was doused completely in water, and drug under instantly, held to the boat only by the rope I'd cinched around my waist. It was a rocky current, bobbing my head over and under the water constantly as commotion raged above. The edge of the boat was low to the ground, being a tugboat and all, but still far out of my reach and covered in slippery plastic. I realized I might die here, pressed up against the side of this boat. Already, I felt my strength fading as I was tossed about. Whenever I was above water, I'd hear gunshots tear their way through the air, screaming like banshees.
  
  Something grabbed my wrist, and began to pull me upward. It was a rather weak and delicate hand, and I planted my feet firmly against the boat to build traction. Together with this stranger, I hoisted myself back on the deck, coughing up water. Qara held my hand, a concerned look on her face.
  
  "Quick! Get down!" I shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing us both under the tiny space between the railing and deck. It wasn't the best defensive position, but hopefully we'd be unseen. I rolled over onto my stomach and peeked up at the attacking ship. It was massive, its shadow looming in the night like a phantom. It was painfully close too, and a bullet whizzing my by head encouraged me to duck down again.
  
  Captain Ganbataar was still rummaging around in his cabin, cursing loudly over the storm as he searched for something. The rest of the crew seemed fairly defenseless, unless we got boarded, their knives weren't going to do much damage. Instead, they attempted to out maneuver the larger ship, which wasn't going particularly well either. The larger ship was staying glued to our left side, constantly battering the ship with bullets. They were inaccurate shots, and most of them just bounced harmlessly against the deck or sailed overhead.
  
  The cabin's door flew open, and Captain Ganbataar flew out of it with a wild grin in his eye. He was a completely different man than I'd seen on the deck of the boat earlier, lively and motivated. He whipped out a massive longbow, and that's when I strongly considered that I was about to die.
  
  He drew the string back carefully, while threading an arrow onto the line. The draw on that had to be ridiculous, it was resting on the ground as he braced the string backwards. When he finally aimed and let go of the string, the resounding shot snapped the line completely and blasted the arrow forward with immeasurable velocity. It sailed over the gap between our ships, piercing the air. It disappeared into the darkness, and I had to squint to figure out what was going on. Suddenly, the night sky seemed to descend upon the enemy ship like a veil of darkness, completely coating the enemy ship. It seemed to be that the enemy's ship's mast had been hit by our Captain's masterful shot. I stood in awe, while Captain Ganbataar stood confidently on the deck, laughing maniacally in the wind.
  
  I could hear the shouts of sailors on the other ship, it would take forever for them to repair the mast, and by then we would have already been long gone. Cheering erupted from the battered crew, as we left their pitiful ship in the dust. Something told me, however, that this was only the beginning of our troubles.
  
  That night on the ship, the seas had calmed, and I felt safer, knowing that our captain was capable. My mind reflected back on the stories that Dr. Blythe would tell, and I realized that perhaps I didn't give him enough credit. I decided to ask him about it in more detail that night but it didn't exactly go as I'd anticipated. I asked him specifically about Captain Ganbataar, about how he'd known about some rough and tumble sailor from Taiwan, and more importantly, what sort of adventures they'd been on.
  
  Unfortunately, Dr. Blythe seemed wholly unwilling to talk. After a few minutes of trying to break him, I decided to go to sleep instead. About thirty minutes had passed and I was still lying wide-awake, wedged in between the railing and the deck. However, the night was not over. Aubrey, who had stayed relatively silent throughout the whole battle, was shifting in his sleep. The mysterious mute man got up slowly, as if he were trying to sneak around.
  
  He began to head towards the back of the ship, searching around carefully with his eyes to make sure nobody was tailing him. Aubrey had already raised my suspicions starting with his tendency to remain silent at all times. Now, after not participating in the battle between the ships, maybe it was time to find out a little more information about him. His elongated shadow disappeared behind the cabin of the ship, trailed with intrigue and mystery.
  
  > go back to sleep
  I managed to ignore my temptation, if Aubrey was good enough for the rest of them, he was good enough for me. A few minutes later, Aubrey came back, quite content fall asleep exactly in the same place he had left, alleviating my concerns. I fell asleep to the rocking of the fragile boat, feeling oddly secure.
  
  Our voyage was long and tiresome; without the under-appreciated joys of the internet and other creature comforts, we remained bored and perpetually slightly hungry for nearly three days. That is, until Captain Ganbataar decided to exit his cabin.
  
  Seeing the captain exit his cabin was like seeing a bear emerge from his cave after an entire winter of hibernation. It was bizarre, and yet the entire crew grew excited, some of the men finally awakening from their drunken stupor. Captain Ganbataar strolled from sailor to sailor, greeting them jovially. It was apparent that the men were not used to receiving much attention. Some of them began to gather stacks of wood in the middle of the deck.
  
  "It's going to be a clear night tonight, boys! The spirits of the ocean have smiled upon our ship."
  
  Within minutes, the crew had set up a proper bonfire. They waved us forward inviting us to join the circle. Captain Ganbataar gestured towards us welcomingly, giving us a seat by the fire. He had smirk on his face, and the gait of a man who had stories to tell. He explained that the goddess of the sea, Mazu, had given him the blessing of a clear night, so we could regale in tales of past adventures.
  
  He was a hauler by nature, wielding a tugboat, so the cargo was primarily other ships. Some of the propositions that had come in were quite strange, like an offer to rescue a half drowned pirate sailboat from a small rock outcropping. Surprisingly, he told us, the pirates were far nicer while being saved than they were out in open waters. The strangest offer he'd had yet was us, of course. Nobody goes to Japan, hell, nobody sails within thirty or forty miles of the place, if they can help it. Unless, of course, said people were crazy enough, and had a focused goal. I looked around at our rag-tag group, and was unsure if we really fit that description. Everyone had different goals, Itaki wanted to make it to Tokyo, Qara and I wanted footage, and Dr. Blythe and Ogasawara were just along for the adventure. Aubrey... I really had no idea, and perhaps it was better that way. I suppose we were all united in one aspect though; we were all batshit crazy.
  
  The captain broke out the good stuff, the whole works, their finest rum and an assortment a preserved foods that he kept in the cabin for occasions just like this. It was his own personal tradition to keep at least one good meal on the ship at all times; similar to death row inmate's last meal, if he was going to go out, he was going to go out enjoying the finer things in life. He and Dr. Blythe put their arm around each other's shoulders and shared tales in soft tongues around the fire.
  
  Ogasawara decided to spark a conversation with me, oddly enough.
  
  "How was your dip in the East China Sea?" he laughed. He had a contagious smile, and reminded you a little bit of a buff Santa Claus.
  
  "Wetter than I expected, honestly." The blatant sarcasm felt weird and lame coming out of my mouth, but Ogasawara laughed anyway. He was good at making people feel at ease. I was suddenly more glad we'd chosen to keep him with us at the checkpoint, god knows I wasn't going to be the life of the party. It became easier to speak to him, and we talked for a while, about our homes, and about our dreams. He'd been attached to the hip with Itaki for years, helping him through depression and the loss of his heritage. Ogasawara was always a traveler, with no home to speak of, and was born after the bombs dropped. Itaki, however, was a young child when it occurred, stranded in China as his home country faced annihilation. Someone had decided Itaki would not pay for his country's mistakes, but Itaki felt differently.
  
  Ogasawara quieted down, and I followed suit. For the first time, sitting with everyone felt very natural. I leaned my head against my bag, and my eyes suddenly grew very heavy. Nestled next to the bonfire, I slowly waded into sleep.
  
  > Continue
  The day of our arrival snuck up on us like a prankster, quite literally. I was enjoying a nice bout of sleep when I was jump-scared into oblivion by Ogasawara, who was yelling something incomprehensible about land.
  
  "It's right there! James get your ass up and look!" I groggily rubbed my eyes and sat up, cracking my spine in a few spots. Over the railing I could see the blurry, gray shimmer of land, left and right as far as the eye could muster. Blinking my eyes a few times revealed even more detail. The landscape was jagged like broken teeth, composed of slanted and snapped buildings that littered the skyline. The gray of the buildings faded seamlessly into the sky, and seemed to stretch everything upwards and make it look both ominous and cartoony. The longer I looked at it, the more anxious I became, so I started packing up my belongings instead.
  
  We settled the tugboat alongside the remains of some apartment buildings; some of the sailors would remain behind to look after the ship, and the rest of us would be free to explore. Putting boots on the ground for the first time in a week was beyond strange, I hadn't realized how used to the swaying I'd become. I stared at my feet for a second, to steady myself, then looked up and got immediately thrown off balance again.
  
  The city dwarfed us, monoliths packed like sardines into a kiln, which had been turned up to the highest temperature to sear away all of the color. I kicked a few stones across the ground, watching them settle in a nearby pile of concrete that had been peeled off the ground like a wrapper. It was everything I'd anticipated it would be, the remnants of a civilization, the remainder of a peoples' home. Ogasawara spotted a nearby roadsign, and shook his head.
  
  "We're in the Otaku District," he said, "still a little south of Itaki's home, which is in Shinagawa. From here, it's a pretty decent walk, but we should be able to make it if we leave right away."
  
  The crew groaned in protest, appalled by the idea of setting off immediately, but we didn't have a whole lot of time to waste. The delays we'd suffered so far had left the door wide open for people to get here before us.
  
  > Continue
  With the decision made, we set off towards the Shinagawa District. Ogasawara had some old-world map that he was following, that I doubted the integrity of, but we were setting up red strings along the route we were following regardless. We'd be able to make it back in once piece. I took some rushed pictures of the city, a shot of the splintered skyscrapers, bent, warping, and taking everything with them along the ride. We had to make several detours when enough debris built up to block our path.
  
  The landscape painted stories for me, stories of men and women who'd tried to run from the inevitable. How could I not see them? Their shadows were seared into the rubble, reminders of a darker time. Each one a life, and each one reduced to nothing more than a stain.
  
  It was surprisingly sweltering, and I found myself stopping frequently to lean up against the rubble; we had no protection from the harsh sun. Itaki kept walking out of sheer determination, keeping us all in toe like ducklings.
  
  We reached the border of Shinagawa District just as the sun touched the horizon, and unanimously agreed it was time to find a place to rest. There were a few apartment complexes nearby, that looked relatively put together, or we could set up the tent in a wide open space, to avoid anything potentially collapsing on us.
  
  > set up the tent
  Our tent was actually rather spacious, and would easily accommodate our entire group, so we chose to use it, rather than trust a dilapidated apartment complex not to collapse on us. Setting it up took a while, it was one of those fancy ones with a metal infrastructure and grounding poles; we laid out some tarps and had it up as a team before losing daylight completely. Having a small lamp inside made it feel cozy, like the inside of an oven.
  
  Winds were fierce tonight, but our tent held, anchored to the ground. We slept huddled together in a mass, sailors included, guarding each other from the harsh environment. I found it fairly easy to drift to sleep, surprisingly, despite the circumstances. Guess that hard times do make a group bond closer.
  
  We woke up to the gentle warmth of the sun filtering its way into the tent. I was one of the first ones out, stretching and yawning as the sun beat down, surveilling. The fading remnants of a black, coal-like dust scattered as the sun rose, dissipating into the air as if it had never existed.
  
  "Strange," I thought. "Doesn't seem like natural behavior for soot, where'd it come from anyways?"
  
  Today was the day that we would arrive at Itaki's home, and the excitement was palpable. From what he'd told us, his home was ridiculously beautiful, at least before nuclear armageddon, and he assured us that it would still be intact. I was pretty doubtful, and confused as to how he could be so sure, but hope does strange things to men. He glided at the front of the group, seeming to know the way even before Ogasawara gave him instructions. He was coming home.
  
  A deeply unsettling sky had settled in by the time we'd made it within eyeshot of Itaki's home, which rested low to the ground, mostly in pieces. The air smelled strongly of rain; we hadn't come well prepared for a thunderstorm, so we all picked up the pace, practically breaking into sprints as the first few water droplets broke from the sky. Luckily, Itaki's house was still partially covered, so we were able to take shelter.
  
  Itaki's home was very traditionally Japanese, boasting two stories supported by darkly stained wood that, despite the obvious wear and age, still help up fairly well. The straw matting within had not preserved itself nearly as well. It was split and upheaved into small prickly coils, and wildly off-color, particularly in the corners of the rooms. We huddled in one of these corners, hiding in the Itaki family's multipurpose room. Itaki took a moment to breathe, and ran his fingers across the wooden walls. He purposefully hid his face from view, I assumed to save face. I couldn't imagine what he was feeling.
  
  The sky darkened steadily, despite it being midday at most. The rain didn't want to let up either, making small puddles in the matting that released a rather moldy stench into the air. Dark, black clouds hung over the city like curtains, and grew steadily wider, enveloping the sun that had been warming us up. Accordingly, I slipped on my windbreaker. Rain was not unlike Japan's natural climate, back in the thirties and forties. The wind whipped up too, nearly taking off Dr. Blythe's hat. At this, he shouted:
  
  "Stay close! We don't know how bad this storm is going to get!"
  
  Something must have heard him; a magnificent bout of thunder followed right after, shaking our spirits. This storm was almost... aggressive.
  
  There was a familiar sound, like sifting sand, something I'd grown used to listening to at night. It grew steadily from the opposite side of the room, and that's when IT happened. Itaki grabbed my arm with white bony fingers as the shadows that had been seared into the walls began to shift, and peel themselves off the walls.
  
  "What the actual FUCK is that?!" yelled Ogasawara.
  
  They stumbled towards us like newborn babes, as if they were learning to walk for the first time. It was plain to see why. They seemed to be made of some sort of ashy material that crumbled and reformed with every step. Dr. Blythe grabbed my collar, shoving me through the nearby doorway towards the entrance to Itaki's home and into the rain. It took a moment for my legs to function, frozen from shock.
  
  Qara came next, followed by everyone except Ogasawara. I started to speak but Dr. Blythe cut me off.
  
  "He's dealing with it! We need to go!" he shouted. I didn't consider the implications of leaving him behind then, instead running to the entrance of the house. More of the ashen humanoids blocked the way, flaking and disintegrating as they walked. Someone threw a rock at them, which blew a hole straight through the shoulder of the first creature. It filled in almost immediately, regenerating itself while the creature didn't even slow down. They entered Itaki's home, and that's when all hell broke loose.
  
  The smoky cloud cover sprouted thin cracks and let loose a bolt of lightning, which streaked down to us in slow motion. When it hit the floor between us and the creatures, there was an explosion of light that seared my eyes. It felt like receiving a full-body light sunburn. When I was able to open my burnt eyelids, I was laying in the middle of the entrance, a smoking crater just a couple feet in front of me. All of the shadows had gone as well. I picked myself up on shaky legs, and took a few steps, feeling increasingly nauseous. A quick look at my hands revealed they were completely blistered, along with my arms.
  
  The way was clear, and I grabbed the others, who were stumbling towards the exit, with one exception. Itaki kneeled in the ashes, face in his hands.
  
  "Itaki! We need to get the fuck out of here NOW!" He turned his head slowly, shaking it.
  
  "No, James. I cannot run from this." The ashes begin sifting around his body once more, planning to claim him for the walls, no doubt. This would be the only chance I'd have to grab him and escape with the others.
  
  > save Itaki
  "Itaki! I'm not leaving you, let's go!" I ran back into the house, lacing my arms under his armpits and attempting to drag him away, but it was futile. Itaki was wiry, but strong, and I was making very little progress.
  
  "You don't understand what you're doing! Just go!" He broke free, spinning around and shoving me to the ground. His eyes were frantic and darting from wall to wall, clearly not in the right state of mind. I sprung back up, but he held out a hand. "They're my family..." he said somberly.
  
  "Not anymore, Itaki! Please, we have to leave!" Itaki looked pained, as if he might be considering it, before being seized from behind by a pair of coal-black hands. One of them grabbed his scalp, while the other fixated itself around his throat, dragging him backwards into the ground. He screamed in agony, but I had no clue why until I took a closer look at where he'd been grabbed. His skin was shriveled and shrunk where he'd been touched and it was spreading all over his face like a pox. The skin, stretched tautly, broke and left his flesh exposed to the air. He screamed as the creature put its hands back on him. It was too late.
  
  I turned to run but was met immediately by a whole group of the creatures. They shuffled and squirmed to block my path towards the doorway. Unfortunately for me, lightning would not strike twice. I dodged backwards, avoiding outstretched limbs like a professional athlete. Once Itaki had been dealt with, however, all of the attention was on me. They kept materializing, peeling off the walls like stickers.
  
  Eventually, one of them grazed against me, fingers touching my right ear. There was none of the head-splitting pain that had made Itaki scream, just a mild itching sensation. This momentary confusion was just enough to distract me into making a far worse mistake. I spun around, directly into the arms of a shadow. It latched onto me, and for a moment it was like being seized by an itchy, wooly blanket. Then, the burning began. I gasped at the sudden pain, and tiny black flakes got in my mouth as well. I gagged, but there was nothing to expel, it had already begun eroding at the sides of my mouth. At this, my body was racked with such unbelievable pain that I passed out. I never woke back up.