Surviving Ater the Earthquake

December 29th. It’s been four days since the earthquake. I’ve been walking around the church with a map since this morning. I’m jotting down where crevices have formed and places where it’s flooded. It’d be fatal to go to such dangerous areas in the future if the snow covers the ground, and we’ll also be able to tell the difference even if any other aftershocks change the terrain. And this isn’t a practical reason, but gathering information should give us some peace of mind. We still do not have any information, and we have no way to find out what’s happening. Anxiety flourishes without information, so we should observe the situation and gather information on our own in order to figure out what we should do. This was Tanomura-san’s idea, and I have no objections with it. I started exploring, but I haven’t met any survivors yet. I tried making a smoke signal, but the white smoke was lost in the cloudy sky and the falling snow, so it wasn’t effective. But I did meet dead people. I noticed countless corpses we had previously overlooked while carefully trampling down the snow and mapping the landscape around me. For example, I was inspecting a landslide when I saw a hand sticking out. For example, I was surveying the scope of the flood when I saw black hair swaying deep in the water. For example, I saw something red dripping out of a crushed car. I see all this just by walking around. I’m sure I’d find many more dead bodies if I decided to search through the collapsed buildings. My legs are tired by the time I make it back to the church. I brush the snow off a nearby concrete block and sit on it. In front of me is the flooded town. The deep pool extends almost to my feet. The water’s surface creates a dark grey reflection of the sky. ...

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... about?”
I panic a bit. I didn’t notice her approaching me.
“There’s snow on you.”
Sasaki-san points to my head. I shake my head, and lots of snow dumps down. There’s snow piled up on my shoulders too.
“I was lost in thought.”
“Were you lost in thought for so long that you’re covered in snow? You should’ve come into the church since you’re right by it. I was worried since you didn’t come back for a while.”
Sasaki-san seems a bit angry.
“I’m sorry” I bow and Sasaki-san smiles.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“Not really.”
“That’s pretty blunt.”
“I can’t really tell. Do you think so?”
Sasaki-san smiles, “Tanomura-san and the others are back already. We’re going to eat soon. Let’s go back together.”
I stand up and the handgrip falls from my lap. It’s the handgrip I’m using every day to recover the function of my right hand. I pick it up and head to the church with Sasaki-san.