Title: Hopeless
Author: Ytak
Genre: Horror
Rating: T
Word Count: 1112
Comments: I wanted to try my hand at a horror story. This is AU. Originally posted under my "Responses" set but changed my mind due to the length.
A grasping hand reached under the cracked window and tried to force it further open. A panicked young woman desperately tried to hold the window closed against inhuman strength.
To her relief, brief as it was, a katana slashed out, cutting off the hand. She closed the window, as she tried to ignore the screams of outrage from the now one-handed creature.
Quickly, the young woman and armed young man, moved away from the window, holding their collective breath as the hoped and prayed that the glass would hold under the onslaught of the creature. Fearfully, they could see the approach of more of the creatures.
"Heiji? What'll we do?" Kazuha asked quietly.
He tightened his grip on the katana, "I was kinda hoping you had some more ideas. I know you've watched a lot of horror movies."
She shook her head violently, whether in denial or as a negative, it was not obvious.
Shattering glass from a different window made them jump. Looking around wildly, Heiji noticed a telltale cord hanging from the ceiling. He sheathed his sword and yelled, "Up!"
Kazuha pulled the cord of the door to the attic and scrambled up. Heiji followed her up just as quickly and pulled the door closed, taking the cord up with him. The growing horde of zombies continued to press on the windows and doors.
Kazuha huddled next to Heiji as they heard more windows break the door splinter. She swallowed hard when she remembered the day's carnage. Heiji felt no better. Friends and family, all gone. Changed into something the scariest zombie movies failed to capture.
The movies got it all wrong. A bad blow to the head did not stop the zombies. A bullet to the head failed likewise. Heiji bowed his head, remembering the horror when the police discovered that fact. So many they died valiantly. But they still died. And fighting one of the newly dead officers… a nightmare. They retained more than enough human intellect to use the weapons they went down with. They went after family, friends and co-workers first with a single-minded intensity.
A vicious cut to Heiji's arm was from his mother, the bullet graze on his torso, from his father.
The only thing that worked was severing the head completely. And getting close enough to do that was difficult, at least, without being turned as well.
The pair stiffened and moved away from the door as the shuffling in the room increased to a frenzy.
An eternity later, it seemed to calm down. Heiji and Kazuha took a moment to breathe. But that moment passed.
They could heard furniture being moved and organized shuffling under the attic door. They shuddered in terror as a rough, but recognizable voice floated up, "Don't worry, daddy will be up soon."
Kazuha let out a sobbing whimper as the attic door was slowly forced open. Heiji moved in front of her and drew his sword.
One zombie head moved into sight. A twisted smile accentuated by a bullet hole just above the left eye.
Heiji moved with practiced grace and removed the head from the not yet decayed body. Kazuha twitched as the head rolled away. It was one of the officers her father had worked closely with. One her father tried to defend himself against.
The attic door tore away and more zombies came through. Heiji beheaded any that came too close but they young adults knew it was only a matter of time. Behind the growing group of zombies, Heiji and Kazuha could see her father coming up, wearing the same twisted smile as all these zombies seemed to smile.
Kazuha began to cry. Two trails of silent tears ran down her face. Too late, she realized that a zombie had gotten behind her. A pair of arms reached around her and held tight, the flesh dangling from them in a way that she could visualize having happened in the final seconds of life.
"Heiji!" she managed to get out as the zombie bit into the back of her neck. "Please!"
Heiji whipped around at her cry just in time to see the zombie bite her. With animalistic rage, he went through more zombies and to her aid. He cut the arms of the zombie holding her and managed to pull her away.
He scrambled away from more zombies, carrying Kazuha, desperately praying she would be fine.
One look down showed her eyes dull with pain… and approaching death. Sadly, he placed her on the floor and turned to face the zombies. He beat back a number of them, wishing that things had not come to this situation, wishing he knew how it all started and what he could do to stop it.
All at once, the zombies froze, waiting in anticipation. Heiji stared dumbly at them a moment before realizing they were looking behind him.
He snapped a look over his shoulder and saw Kazuha breathe in and out, in and out, in and out, and out. In dawning horror and sadness he realized what was happening and what Kazuha had tried to tell him. "Please! Don't let me become one of them!" he could hear in his mind.
He swept hesitation aside as he swept down his blade. He could do this one last thing for Kazuha. He could not show her any other way that he cared, even though he knew he lost.
Arms like the ones that grabbed Kazuha and far worse grasped at Heiji. He removed any and all he could reach with his katana. He fought harder than he had in his life but the crushing mass of bodies were too much.
Minutes later, a blood splattered and grinning Heiji rose from the floor, the katana held loosely in his right hand. He moved to stand beside Kazuha's father. They grinned at each other in that twisted fashion and left through the space that was the opening to that attic.
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Ran watched the scenes on the television with revulsion and horror. The carnage that wracked Osaka and its suburbs was unfathomable to the mind. Conan, too, tried to wrap his mind around it.
A knock on the apartment door caused them to jump. "Who, who is it?" Ran asked tentatively, as she approached the door.
"It's me, 'Nee-chan."
"Hattori-kun!" Ran said with relief and moved to open the door.
"Ran! Don't open the door!" Conan yelled, fear in his eyes, running towards her.
She stopped and turned towards him, "What? Why?"
The door exploded inward and Heiji stepped through, bring his katana down Ran's back.
He shouldered his katana and gave Conan a twisted version of his trademark smile, "Here'sssss Heiji!"