Illogical, all of it was. But impossible? Surely not.
It had taken a while to accept the latter, and even then, he still had his doubts. Apocalypse or not, Rei was a man of science, who favored reason and explanation over acts of God. Or, perhaps in this case, an act of Satan in damnation and anger. These kinds of things only occurred in acts of fiction - they were not reasonable, as if he, himself, were the protagonist of the stories he used to read as a child. He could certainly thank his love of reading nowadays; because of what he could remember in supernatural lore, he was able to properly defend himself from these… these monsters.
By definition, they were known as “walkers” or “zombies.” The dead seemingly brought back to life, now wandering the decrepit universe freely in search of things to eat. In the old cartoons, they craved “brains” in a drawn out, monotone snarl. Here, however, they simply craved living flesh. Warm, active. They craved those who were still in tact. Still alive.
And yet, he was dead, was he not?
The formula did not make sense. He did not believe in an afterlife, so Heaven was out of the question from the start, but if he were truly dead, wouldn’t it seem less like he was being some kind of ridiculous second chance at life? If he were actually dead, he would be in the ground somewhere, conscious gone for good. His soul would be at rest, “passed away,” as the saying implies. Instead he was very much “living,” caught up in what could only be described as a circus catastrophe fit better for a bad horror movie than the actual life he now occupied.
It was hardly believable. And yet this was every day, now. A constant frustration.
But he had no choice but to adapt. In the beginning it was much harder, still holding onto whatever hope he had that this was some prolonged terrible dream directly caused by one of those video games Nagisa would make him play in the dark. Suddenly, this became less plausible, until it was nixed from the possibilities entirely. This failed solution would give way to many more, but they all ended just the same: failure. It was now or never, Rei decided, and he would have to use his skills to fight against whatever this new world wanted to make of itself. Passively, of course.
Unpredictable and callous, it was, though he quickly learned the ropes. His fast mind would become a cherished gift in such a place as this, his past passions for reading and study aiding him in ways that would have never been relevant in his old life. Ah, what a simpler time, it was, when the hardest thing was perfecting his butterfly stroke and improving his times. Swimming he had not done for quite some time… and selfishly, bitterly, he missed it. He missed his friends, a past in which they were his priority and happiness was a readily attainable goal. Where were they now? Were they one of…them?
Here, he was mostly alone. He had met few others in passing, comrades who based on his personal calculations probably did not make it very far. In his own approach, he had been likened to a gazelle, quiet and fast with his long legged stride. His speed and silence made him nearly undetectable… for he simply did not want to be noticed. He would exist in this world like the passing wind, light and gone nearly as soon as it was felt. As if it were never there in the first place, which is how he traveled now. Always careful, always listening. Acting only when the time was perfect. When it was most beautiful.
Calculation would be eternal in this way.
Studying the noises of the area around him he picked up on a strange gurgle. Muffled in some way, perhaps by some kind of foundation or even by a noise. It sounded not quite like a walker - perhaps some other kind of creature. An animal meant a meal; he had experienced decent success looting a home this afternoon but… well, he was feeling lucky. The numbers looked good enough and protein was necessary following what had been several days without.
"Distance is about 100 feet, set creature to c, potential entry equals p-a," He would mumble as he studied the compound. Another home, one long abandoned following the mess this world had made somehow. He hoped an animal sought shelter here from the outer forces or perhaps the walkers, themselves - it made sense to assume as most animals were easily frightened by strange noises and humanoid like figures. If the creature had tired itself, as well, the trap and kill would be much easier on Rei, who could only kill an animal while constantly reminding himself of the necessities of survival. The act was simply not enjoyable. Not beautiful whatsoever.
Approaching based on his calculations, he moved towards the side of the home, where he had discovered the creature would be somewhere towards the back. A living room, perhaps, or some kind of powder room? He crouched low, adjusting his taped red frames - broken from several early mistakes - moving with ease and little noise. Being in this environment had taught him the importance of silence, of which he listened to the world around him. Bugs and distant birds, the usual sounds of nature…. and much heavier breathing. A quick formula would reveal the noise somewhere in the eastern corner; he moved for where he kept a weighted net. Logically, a weapon would be best, but he had a strong feeling that the condition of this animal would allow for much more humane measures. With a deep breath, he leapt for the opportunity with a triumphant grunt, throwing his arms back, and—
Staring one Rin Matsuoka in the face.
"R-Rin-chan-san!" He spit, the name coming easily and without thought even after such time had passed. With it followed a myriad of old memories he had left in his wake until now, appearing in his logical brain like an identification card of sorts. Facts rushed at him like clicking through a computer screen. From their rival school, Samezuka, an efficient swimmer who had a history with his teammates…. a man who was practically a ghost in his mind’s eye somehow here with him in this wasteland. Even scientifically, he could hardly account for this.
"… …Rin… Matsuoka…?" He would now say with a bit more level a voice, somewhat tangled on the floor in the net he was about to use on this man.
As composed as ever, of course.
