R.I.B.B.O.N.
By: Trenton Mykel White













The day? I don’t really know. The time? It’s about midday. The year? 2016.
We are a resistance by the name Demon Slayer and I am Karatsu Oichi. I along with fifty other soldiers and a medic were to be stationed in China. Due to unfortunate engine failure on our plane, only two survived the trip, the medic and me. I don’t remember too much after our aircraft went down, but luckily for the both of us, the medic was miraculously unharmed and got us out of harm’s way while I was unconscious.
The same medic that saved me requested that she’d take care of me and refused to let anyone else tend to my wounds. When I woke up a week after the crash, she was sitting beside my bed sleeping. I found that both my wrists were fractured; all of my ribs, my jaw, right leg, left shoulder, and neck were broken. I was internally bleeding in my right leg and chest. I can’t begin to imagine what force in this universe kept me alive after something like that.
Since my jaw was broken, I couldn’t talk yet so the medic came by everyday after her shift to keep me company. The first thing she told me was that her name is Maria Walsh and that five years ago I had saved her from one of them. Five years ago? I couldn’t recall the whole thing until she told me her story.
I must’ve been at least seven-teen years old at the time. At the this point in the world, the world leaders decided to be conservative with things like steel, copper, lead and the minerals needed to make these said metals, so steel now is only used to make swords and knives for every Demon Slayer soldier, armor plating is made for the higher ranked soldiers, and fifty caliber bullets are made for the turrets posted on the tops of Demon Slayer bases. I had just joined Demon Slayer and was sent on my first mission of a search and rescue in Great Britain. I was an exceptional warrior back then, but the thought of having to fight them was extremely frightening to me.
It was a blood chillingly quite evening in London, where I eventually found the young girl I know now as Maria. She was hiding in a house underneath the flooring. One of them was searching the house looking for her, I had to stay silent. It was too dark to see what it looked like, because I heard they all looked different from each other. I slowly drew my sword and crept closer. It was in the kitchen rummaging through large cabinets and flipping over tables trying to smell the scent of the human girl it knew was hiding there.
I couldn’t stop sweating from the pressure. All of my training sessions started swimming through my mind and the saying my father always told me told me while teaching me the ways of the sword. “Go into battle expecting to die and you will surely live.” Up until now, I’ve always thought that was total bullshit.
A sudden cough was heard coming from the planks in the floor and the beast, looking for the young girl, immediately gazed its glowing yellow eyes in her direction. It was almost time for me to react. I remember I kept telling myself, be agile, be nimble, you don’t have any kind of armor on, so just be careful.
The monster stood over the floorboards quietly growling at the ground. It knelt to the floor sniffing in the dust of the flat timbers. It had found her scent, let out a wicked snarl that terrified me, and smashed its right hand through the floor, picking up young Maria by her small fragile neck.
That’s when I reacted. Now that I think back on it, maybe I acted a little too soon. I attempted to hurl my sword at it, but my balance was thrown off from a large shard of glass under my foot. I had originally planned for my sword to incise its head for an instant kill, but due to my fear and clumsiness, the blade severed its right arm. Maria dropped to the floor, prying the separated limb from her neck and ran into the shadows of the house.
I had caught the beast’s full attention. The only real bad things about my situation at the time were that my weapon was closer to him than I was, I was scared shitless, and they’re just as dangerous and deadly with only one arm.
The monster flung its disfigured body towards me. Fear drove me to react the way I did next. I quickly rolled under it as it flew over me. My survival instincts took over as I jumped over the flipped table and reached for my sword that was stuck in the wall. As I felt the worn fabric from the blade’s handle touch the tips of my fingers, a sense of fortune hit my mind. That fortune soon ended when I was aware of the sharp pain of its fingers impaling and digging into my mid-back, then throwing me back where I started. Before I could focus on the pain all around my body, it was already standing over me. I stared into its bright paralyzing eyes and I remember that, at that very moment was the last time I would ever feel afraid of any being. I closed my eyes as I waited for my inevitable death.
The monster let out a screech of victory, then a screech of pain. I opened my eyes to see that it had been stabbed in the back with my sword. Its blood was spurting from an exit wound on its chest on the floor past my face. I looked behind it and there stood Maria frightened. It wasn’t dead just yet. It turned to her furious.
“Why’re you just standing there,” I yelled to her. “Run damn it! Get the hell out of here now!”
The beast proceeded to confront Maria as it was slowly backing her up against a wall. She kept trying to look for objects to defend herself with. Maria gasped when she felt her back touch the kitchen counter. It inched closer to her face and let out a horrible scream as it raised its hand to strike. Just in time, before it had the chance to finish her, I used the last of my strength to jolt myself behind it and pull my sword out of its back. The screaming stopped, its hand descended, and turned to look at me. I wasted no time cutting its head from its shoulders. I watched the headless body drop to the floor; its blood now oozing from its open neck.
I looked up at Maria. “It’s ok,” I said exhausted, “I’m here to help you.” My vision suddenly started to blur and my speech was faulty. I could fell that my whole back was painted with my blood from the wound I suffered earlier. I fell to my knees, I hit the floor, and my eyes slowly closed.
I woke up days later in the Demon Slayer base hidden under the Fuji Mountain in Japan and the young Maria was nowhere to be found. The medic there told me the girl that was found with me stayed by me until back up arrived and she then left on another helicopter.
Maria told me that after we departed from each other that day, she was taken to Germany to be trained as a medic so that maybe one day she would see me again to thank me properly. I almost wanted to laugh at that sop story, but I won’t so far as to say that I didn’t enjoy her company.
After many months of surgery and physical therapy, I was finally able to talk and walk around. My strength had returned to me and I was ready and willing to get back onto the battlefield. Before I was stationed back on the outside, I was told by Maria that the Commander behind this base wanted to see me personally.
His name is Anderson. I heard that he was some kind of doctor or scientist before leading this base. “You wished to see me Commander Anderson?” I presented myself in salute.
He was writing and reading documents as I came in. He’s skinny, he also had some growth on his face, but then again, who didn’t? He was wearing a blue suit and had on reading glasses. He was the cleanest person I had ever seen, considering the condition of the world we now live in.
“Oh yes, Specialist Oichi.” He said standing up returning my salute with his own, “lease take a seat, I’ve been waiting a number of months to speak with you.” He sat back down smiling as he took off his glasses.
“Was there something you wanted see me about Sir,” I asked.
“Well yes,” he began, “I’ve been reading over your file here and I must say I’m quite impressed.”
“Thank you Sir.”
“But before I send you on your next mission,” he paused folding his hands on the desk, “I feel that I must know your knowledge of this bloody war.”
Before I started to tell him what I knew, I began to think that maybe I knew a little too much thanks to my father; he was a Japanese soldier that was drafted into Demon Slayer when everything started. I told Commander Anderson that it all had happened six years ago. An American biologist named Maxwell Leavings created a groundbreaking vaccine for the U.S. military that would fight off sicknesses from simple allergies to the most common forms of cancer. This “vaccine” was called the Remedial Internally Biologically Based Organic Neutralizer, or RIBBON for short. This so-called mega cure was a success in its status name and was soon distributed to most of the citizens of the United States.
In the spring season of 2010, the U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq that were immunized with the vaccine proceeded to get easily angered and became extremely violent. While on the battle field, they ran to the front lines with no weapons or protective gear; they tore the Iraqi troops apart with their bare hands; the vaccine was found to have mutated into a massively contagious virus that the surviving Iraqis had caught. The American troops were soon forced back to the States to be tested and hopefully cured of the virus, but soon the citizens began to react to the vaccine just the same. Death was all over the streets and blood painted the walls of buildings; nearly 2,000 Americans survived and now I hear there are only 421 left. Iraq was really no different, except only 53 Middle Eastern citizens are know alive, along with 368 Europeans, 1026 Hispanics, 575 Africans, and only 176 Asians. By mid 2012, the RIBBON virus had successfully spread around the entire world.
Scientists had gathered up dead people in the very early to the very late stages of the virus to be carefully studied. The scientists concluded that the virus enhances the brain’s stimulus to hate and react more aggressively to the sight of non-infected humans. Their organs operate five times as fast, but when they die or are killed, everything in their body stops abruptly. So when a limb is dismembered, their blood is slow to pour out. Their neural structure takes a while to process movement of the objects or people around them, allowing them to see in slow motion. Their sense of smell, hearing, and sight are far more potent than fifteen humans combined; the same is said for their speed and strength. Due to their blinding rage towards those who aren’t infected, they have yet to develop the knowledge of battle strategies or the ability to speak.
Within the first week, the virus takes over your mind with pure aggression, the following week your hair will stop growing and turn gray, by the third week your speech will be strangely replaced with loud sharp screeches and screams, and by the fifth week the virus will surface to your whole epidermal system burning it to a scab-like disfigurement; giving them the decorative name, demon.
There’re different ranks of demons that usually depend on there size. Demons that seem to have been bodybuilders or what have you before they were infected are called Generals, they can endure almost anything, they are the strongest of the demons that we know of, and they are the least common of demons. Nats are the most common and most annoying. They were the average Joes before the RIBBON immunizations; they follow Generals when they’re around and usually always come in massive numbers but pose the smallest threat…well, to me anyway. The last kind of demon is the Toddler. They are the most difficult to kill and the most nimble; they are most likely around the ages of twelve to sixteen. You never want to be surrounded by a swarm of Toddlers.
“And it says here that your father was killed in action, is that correct,” the Commander asked me reading through more of my file.
“Yes Sir,” I replied, “Staff Sergeant Oichi was stationed here four years ago while I was still in Great Britain.”
“And your mother?” He repositioned his glassed.
“She was a medic for the Japanese army and caught the RIBBON virus from a patient scratching her finger. When the infection started to manifest, my father saw it best that he be the one to release her soul.”
Commander Anderson stood from his chair and made his way toward a small window staring at the wilderness. “Specialist Oichi,” he started once again, “there was a Captain with you on the aircraft before it crashed am I correct?” I confirmed with him that there was a captain with me, but was now dead. I hate it when people ask questions that they already know the answers to. “I ask because we were in need of that captain to lead some our men and train them properly; we seem to be running low.”
“With all due respect Sir,” I stuttered, “but if this is a request to be a replacement Captain I must respectfully decline.”
Commander Anderson chuckled while again repositioning his glasses then turned to me. “Well then, it’s a good thing that it wasn’t a request Captain Oichi.”
The Commander told me I was dismissed and began reading through more files. I stood, saluted my superior, and exited the room. Even if my record states that I am, I don’t feel ready to take the responsibility of commanding soldiers. I’ve only fought for my own safety ever since the day I met Maria. While wandering through the halls I had realized that I wasn’t given a room to stay in and I didn’t know where the main office was.
When I turned a corner, Maria had bumped into me. I didn’t hear her footsteps coming towards me; she must’ve been waiting for me.
“I’m so sorry Mr. Karatsu, I’m so clumsy,” she said red-faced.
“It’s fine Miss Walsh and please, just ‘Karatsu’ okay?”
“Oh,” she replied looking to her feet, “yes sir but only if you call me Maria.”
“Not a problem, I’ll keep that in mind.”
She was hesitant to speak. “Is…is there anything I can help you with,” she asked taking a step closer to me. I think I began to turn red so I turned my face from her.
“Well,” my voice cracked, “I don’t know where my living quarters are and I can’t find an office to ask.”
She began to lightly giggle at me. “Your room is in the south wing on the third floor room number thirty-seven; it’s down this down this hallway.” As she pointed down the foyer from where we knocked into each other, I gave her a quick thank you and began making my way down the hall. “Wait Karatsu,” she called out. I stopped and turned to see her. “I…I made some potato soup in my room,” she said blushing, “would…would you care to have some?”
“I think I’ll have to pa…” My stomach started to bellow throughout the halls of the fortress. I honestly couldn’t recall the last time I had something to eat. Maria took hold of my wrist and proceeded to take me down the west wing hallway. “My room is right around here,” she said giggling. We came to the second floor of the west wing which seemed to be the wing for the medics by the sight of things. There were first aid kits by each door and infirmary was at the starting end of the corridor.
In her room she didn’t keep much; just the usual bed, closet, and a few shelves. On the dirt floor she kept a large rug covering a hole that concealed the small steaming pot of soup. “I keep it covered so the other nurses won’t barge in asking for all of it,” she explained, “and plus, there’s only enough for two people; please take a seat on my bed.” As I sat down, she took two bowls from the hole and rinsed them out with a leaking pipe running through her wall, she poured the soup into the bowls and handed one to me. I honestly would have to say that I haven’t smelled anything quite that good in a long time. I began to slurp the broth from a spoon Maria handed me and as the bisque flowed down my throat, I felt it warming my whole body. “So,” Maria started, “how is it?”
I couldn’t help but smile at her, with all that going on in the world now and all the dangers of it, her only real concern is whether or not I like her cooking. “It’s delicious.” The smile Maria spread across her face was probably the brightest beam had ever seen. She quickly sat next to me on her bed and watched me eat; it was kind of weird, but it was also funny at the same time.
“So Mr. Karatsu,” she began again, “It’s great to see that you’re finally all better now.”
“Yeah,” I replied, “I guess it is.” I handed her the empty bowl.
“So where were you stationed before the crash,” she asked while taking the bowl back to the leaking pipeline.
“I stayed in Great Britain after I met you five years ago, then I was called out here. What about you?”
Maria sat back next to me but much closer this time; our legs were touching, it didn’t bother me much, I just have a tendency to notice everything going on around me. “After we were separated five years ago, Demon Slayer took me to their base in Germany and drafted me to work. They wanted me to be a foot soldier, but I don’t know the first thing about fighting so I snuck into the nursing classes.” For some reason, everything she told me was incalculably appealing to me. I’ve never paid so much attention to someone before. “About three years ago, I had finally become a field medic and was being transferred all over the continent hoping I would see you again to thank you for saving me.”
I looked at her puzzled and asked her if I had been here this whole time, why didn’t she just thank me when she kept me company and she simply answered that saying it wouldn’t be enough.