High School of the Dead Feet

As you traversed the narrow straits that led out of town, you had finally reached the rural countryside. Unfortunately, it did not have the beautiful scenery you remembered. Abandoned cars lined the street, their doors left ajar. This told the fate of those who attempted to flee an onslaught that followed them out of the city. Knowing it was only a matter of time before you, too, encountered this threat, you changed your path and wandered down a little backroad disconnected from civilization.

The soft, but audible steps of Rei behind you were reassuring. She had done an excellent job of diverting the occasional zombie with her spear, and you were proud to have fallen for such a reliable girl. But then, you heard a faint yelp come out of her mouth. You stopped, turning behind you to look at Rei. She was ignorant of the bizarre noise, returning your stare with a curious expression. Maybe your mind was playing tracks on you. With another few steps, there it was again. There was no reason to turn around this time. Something was plaguing Rei, so you wanted to get off the road.

Scanning your surroundings, you remembered the existence of a ruined monastery down the road. This was a place where you explored with Rei when you were younger. It was not so much a single shrine, but a collection of smaller religious buildings. It was obvious, even back then, that such a place had fallen out of favor with the locals. You decided to take Rei there once more.

“I think it’s time for a break.” Your voice was almost pleading for Rei to accept such a decision. Stopping anywhere in this apocalyptic scenario was a poor choice, but you needed to diagnose Rei’s affliction. If it was something serious, you would blame yourself if something happened later. “That old monastery down the road is around here… it should be safe there.”

Although hesitant, Rei was at least aware of her own health. “Yeah… let's rest for a while.”

You wandered down the road and approached the monastery entrance. There were no signs of life besides the various insects that buzzed through the warm air. Likewise, the entire courtyard was overgrown with wild vegetation that ever-so-slowly reclaimed the human constructions. Only the largest of the buildings – a temple – remained undamaged from the environment.

You approached this temple, forcing its sliding doors to the side to reveal an old, musky interior. While your memories were fleeting, you followed them down a long hallway and entered a small room towards the rear of the structure. A small coffee table sat in the middle of this room, surrounded by aged sitting pillows. A permanently clouded window on the other end channeled enough light for you to make out its unchanged appearance. This was the right place.

Before you could invite Rei in to take a seat, she brushed past you and sat down on one of the pillows closest to the window. She remembered this place, the same as you. Her first order of business was to remove her white tennis shoes. You were soon treated to the sight of a matching pair of clingy, white ankle socks. These must have been one of Rei’s favorite pairs, because they had seen quite a bit of use. Alongside the obvious grayish dinge that tainted the fabric, patches of cotton around her toes and heel had been worn off. This erosion left nothing but a thin, transparent mesh to cover her exposed soles. 

Rei looked up at you, with her eyes expectantly prodding yours. She looked to be asking something with her gaze, almost as if she knew you were looking at her socks. Was she aware of your secret admiration for her feet? Your heart fluttered at the possibility of her knowing the truth. After all, it was Rei herself who inspired your affliction for feet.

As a child, you would often go over to Rei’s house to play. She almost exclusively went barefoot during this time, so you would regularly involve her feet in your childhood games. You were fascinated with them, and with good reason. Rei had uniquely small feet, to the extent that her parents had to special order shoes for her. Playing with her feet was all it took to instill a foot fetish into your subconscious, later to reveal itself when you grew older. Although Rei was almost an adult now, you were elated to see that her feet grew into the physique that you remembered so well. The dimensions of her feet were still petite, as visible through her pair of well-used socks.

“Well? Are you going to sit down?” Rei questioned, as you stood in the doorway recounting your past. A part of you was glad that this was just a coincidence. There was no way she knew.

“Ah, sure…” You followed Rei into the room, kneeling down on the pillow next to her. Although this was a rather inviting situation, you wanted to keep your head. Your concern for Rei outweighed any fetish you harbored. “How are you feeling?”

Silence was her response, as Rei turned away to look at the window. She seemed embarrassed by whatever was plaguing her, and was hesitant to reveal her problems to you. “Rei, please tell me. I want to help you.” A few caring words were all it took to tip Rei over the edge, as she looked down at her socks. “It’s my feet… after practice, they’re usually a bit sore. Usually I could get Hisashi to give me a foot rub during our lunch break, but… you know.”

You were surprised such a problem arose, especially in the wake of your school being razed by the undead. You also knew that her boyfriend, who she had been forced to abandon, was likely among the deceased. There was no upside to talking about her boyfriend’s whereabouts, so you changed the topic to the only thing you could in this conversation. “Would you like a foot massage?” 

Her reaction was exactly what you expected it to be. “Wha-? No, I couldn’t make you do that.”

“If it helps, you can think of it as volunteering my services.” You found success with your words, as she paused in contemplation of such an arrangement. Rei swiveled her body to face you, as she stammered her response. “O-OK.” There was something curious about her so readily accepting the massage, but you weren’t complaining. This was the first time you would be able to hold her bare feet since you were both children.