Premise: When the infection spread, chaos reigned with it. Hope became only present in the small deeds, the simple deeds, the proof that beneath the horrific losses and grief, humanity still burned ever present. Then, even those dwindled to but a meager flicker. Family members and friends alike could receive a single bite, and within days or less they would be blind to love, blind to friendship, and attack anything within its sight. As people scrambled to find a way to live, a group known as the Fireflies worked in the background to assume some form of order, of safety. Ivan Braginsky is given a simple task, to transport a man by the name of Alfred Jones, to safety among the Fireflies, a mission that holds as many secrets as the mystery of the Infected. But it also may hold the world's last hope to be rid of the Infected once and for all. But much could be lost along the way…

Prologue

The methodic ticking of the clock. The scratching of a pencil on paper. Generic prerecorded laugher from the television in the other room. These were the sounds of a normal household. These were the sounds that played their routine, safe symphony for Irunya as she poured over her schoolwork. The nearby clock read 10:30. It was far past what her parents would have let her stay up to, but they were in the city for their anniversary and, for the first time, had left Irunya the responsibility of watching over her younger siblings. For years leading up to this night she had insisted to them that she was more than responsible enough to take up the task, that there was no need for a babysitter, didn't they trust her? But now that she was sixteen, they relented.

"Call your grandfather if anything comes up!" they had urged her one last time before pecking her on the forehead, moving on to do the same to her brother and sister.

And to their retreating backs she had assured them there would be no need.

Truth be told, she was rather preoccupied- but so were her siblings, apparently. With no parents home- and an elder sister engrossed in her work- they were taking the opportunity to stay up past their designated bedtimes and watch television. From the sounds issuing from the adjacent room, it was a sitcom. Irunya allowed herself a slight yawn, sparkling blue eyes drooping with weariness as she collected up her things and relocated to the den. There, sure enough, were her brother and sister lounging on the couch as if they were not seriously breaking curfew.

"You should be in bed, both of you," Irunya chided gently, sitting between them and laying her paperwork down on the coffee table.

"What about you?" her brother, Ivan asked, brilliant vibrant eyes flicking over to examine her project.

"I just want to be prepared for my history exam tomorrow," Irunya said defensively, bumping his shoulder good-naturedly.

"But what if we have tomorrow off?" Ivan said, pushing back, and soon it became a steady exchange of gentle pushes between the two.

"Why on earth would we not have classes tomorrow?" Irunya asked in exasperation, adjusting her arm as her sister, Natalya moved in to lean on her shoulder, the better to not be left out.

Ivan gave a noncommittal shrug. "I hope we do not have school tomorrow," was his only response.

Irunya rolled her eyes, her free hand now working on freeing some of the tangles in her sister's long hair. "Well, I have an exam tomorrow, and my teacher said there would be an essay in it. She even said the topics we could choose from, and I want to be prepared." At this, her chest swelled with pride. That was her favorite subject; and she was easily the most involved out of all her classmates. Her teacher had even said she was looking forward to her responses in particular for the upcoming test. She did not want to disappoint after hearing such praise.

"What will you write about?" Natalya piped in, looking at her sister's cramped handwriting.

"Examples of when fear drove major historical events," Irunya recited automatically. "The other choice was when misinformation did, but I liked this one better; it seemed more of a challenge, but I found that it is true for a lot of things."

"You will do good," Natalya said decidedly. "And you will get all A's, and we can all live in a mansion you buy when you become a millionaire."

"I will be fine with that." She cast a fond yet saddened glance around their darkened home. Oh, yes, it housed both the family of five and their many fond memories, but it was not what Irunya wanted for herself. So that was the reason to make sure she excelled in her studies; in her new home, one room would be as large as their current house- she was sure of it!

"But you two still need to get to bed."

Ivan looked up at her with pleading amethyst eyes, nose crinkled. "So do you," he reasoned slowly. "You will not pass if you are too tired.

"That is a fair point, I suppose," she admitted, trying and failing to stifle a yawn. "How about we all turn in? It will be nicer than being cramped on the couch."

Since yawns were contagious, it was not long before the others were forced to concede defeat. As three, they traipsed upstairs, Ivan heading to the bathroom to brush his teeth, while Irunya helped Natalya pick out an outfit for the next day.

"What about this one?" Irunya said imploringly after the third outfit was rejected.

"There's no point- we won't have school tomorrow!"

That earned another roll of the eyes. "Vanya, do you see what you have done?" she called down the hall. An unintelligible gurgle sounded in response no doubt as Ivan rinsed the toothpaste from his mouth.

About halfway through her fussing, the phone rang. Irunya paused halfway through running a comb through Natalya's long tresses. It had to be eleven o'clock! Who on earth would be calling now? Oh, but wait…

Irunya rushed to the phone. "Allo?"

"Irunya- get your brother and sister! Get into one of the rooms with a lock, and wait for your grandfather!" her father's gravelly voice cried through the receiver.

Suddenly, Irunya's insides felt as though they had been replaced by ice. A dull ache developed in her chest as she took in how…how scared her father sounded- her tall, imperious, confident father.

"F-father? What is it? What is wrong?" she asked, hoping- praying- for his tone to shift back to its usual reassuring rumble.

"We will explain later, just get somewhere with a lock and wait- your grandfather is on his way. We will see you soon. We love you all!"

She barely had time to utter a quick I love you too in return before the line went ead.

But not before she heard an ominous screeching. Not the screeching of car tires, heels against a polished floor, or even of rusty door hinges. No, this screeching came from a human mouth…

Heart pounding, ears suddenly picking up the slightest noise and vastly misinterpreting it, Irunya turned round and grabbed her sister by the hand, her fingers enveloping those of Natalya's. "Ivan?" she called shrilly. "Ivan!"

He poked his head out of the bathroom. "Shto eta?" he asked unconcernedly.

"Come, we are going downstairs."

A pale eyebrow rose. "Why? I thought we needed to go to bed."

All patience evaporated and she seized his hand and tugged him back to the stairs. Feeling jittery, she kept them pressed close against her as she grabbed the cordless phone and herded them into the downstairs bathroom.

Once there, with the door locked behind them, Irunya slid down to the floor, her siblings' questions drowned out by the sounds of her internal panic. Why would their parents say such a thing? What could be going on in the city that made them worry for their children back home? Was it terrorists? Did they suddenly not trust her to watch them, to keep them safe, to guard her family with her life? Maybe it did not have to be concern over her capabilities personally. Perhaps this was the typical fears of parents whose children were out of their sight- a sudden, horrid, dawning realization that their beloved children were outside the protection of their embrace. Yes, that must be it. And soon their grandfather, the grizzled, old war veteran whose icy gaze promised swift retribution to anyone who harmed his loved ones, would be there. And they would be safely tucked away in their beds, awoken rudely to the shrill sound of the alarm clock, and have to trudge off to classes, where Irunya would pour over her essay, the outline for which she had just spent two hours preparing. Her teacher would read it and commend her for her boldness, perhaps read some passages to the class, and ask her to submit it as an example for future classes. It all seemed so simple, almost possible to imagine now.

And then she heard it.

"Quiet!" she hissed, covering her siblings' mouths. They turned wide eyes on her, ears straining to hear what had caused such alarm. It came again.

A heavy, uneven, scratchy pounding. Hoarse, inhuman moaning, crying, gasping.

Screeching.

A single wavering sniffle escaped past Irunya's lips as her body became numb. Her brother and sister looked at her with unconcealed fear. They had been pulled from the warm familiar comfort of their nightly routines by an unexpected phone call and their sister's cryptic commands. This only added to their reasons for horror.

It took every ounce of power Irunya had- and energy she had long since spent, to keep her voice even, her gaze clear, her limbs from shaking. This was the brave mask her family needed to get through this- whatever this was. With more assurance than she felt, she rounded on her brother and sister and spoke in a voice of false calm. "We are heading over to grandpa's," she said as the pounding and scratching grew louder, more urgent, more feral. "So, we are going to head to the car. We will not bring anything but coats, alright?" Looking back, she would find it miraculous how her hands did not shake as she grasped onto her siblings and led them imperiously out of the bathroom, the cramped space with its fluorescent lighting looking like a final fortress they were turning their backs on. "Go grab your jackets," she said quietly, but just enough to carry over the banging. She herself headed into the kitchen and scooped up the car keys- her parents had ordered a taxi service to make their trip earlier- and rushed softly back to the foyer. "Ivan- you must have something warmer than that!" she hissed, seeing her brother tugging on a denim jacket as she herself pulled on an oversized sweatshirt. Natalya was wrapped snugly in a thick winter coat that would have been excessive during the day, but on this crisp evening with its frights to chill the bone, it seemed to be a portable barrier of safety.

Ivan shook his head, eyes darting to somewhere behind Irunya, where another set of hands took to pounding on their home. "I left it at friend's home," he mumbled timidly. "It is enough," he added, having been able to endure the chill better than his sisters.

"Alright, never mind that," Irunya said distractedly, snatching up her favorite scarf. The soft pink fabric was a welcome burst of familiarity in her grasp as she wrapped it securely around Ivan's neck. "You still need more coverage. Here." Finishing her work, she guided them to the garage, closing the door as quietly as possible behind her. Her heart rate now matched the incessant pounding from outside, and no had she closed the garage door and opened the back passenger car door than the unmistakable sound of breaking glass reached her ears. Irunya bit her lip to hold back a sob as the glass door to their porch was no doubt destroyed. Buckling Natalya in, Irunya grasped Ivan's arm firmly as she marched him over to the other side, more to have the assurance of comfort than feeling the need to really guide him anymore. "Vanya," she murmured softly, hurriedly. "When we are driving, I need you to keep talking to Natalya. Hearing you two will help me relax and concentrate so we can get to grandpa's house. Please do not ask me questions- I will explain everything when we are with him. But I really need you to do this for me." In truth, she hoped that if her brother and sister could distract each other, they might not have to see whatever was now polluting their neighborhood with those inhuman screams and wails. They could not be scared, they could not be worried- they needed to feel safe, and she would make sure they had that comfort. Ivan blinked up at her in confusion before giving a hesitant nod.

The horrid sounds now infiltrating their home, what should have been their eternal and personal sanctuary from all ills of the outside world, seemed to become dulled as Irunya's finger hovered over the button that would open the outer door. A single breath in, then out, and she applied some pressure. The door slid open, the noise loud- too loud. Whatever was running amuck would be drawn to it like moths to a flame. But Irunya chose only to focus on what was in front of her, and where they needed to be.

Her siblings' chatter filtered in through the ringing in her rears as she drove forward, failing to hide that horrible screeching, let loose with a new kind of fervor as whatever it was caught sight of their car. She felt rather than saw a figure approaching, desperately trying to get to their car. The gas pedal slammed to the floor as she tore down the road, all of her driving lessons coming into play in a whole new perverse way. As she tore out of the neighborhood into less inhabited country lanes, the stifling atmosphere of danger seemed to ebb away, and she found herself feeling calmer. Things proceeded in this easier fashion- her brother and sister making forced conversation with Natalya clinging to her brother's arm while Ivan, for once, did not seem to mind, and the only sign of life coming from the row of car lights forced to a standstill up ahead.

Irunya was forced to perform some tricky maneuvers, knuckles white as she twisted the steering wheel this way and that, trying, with many others, to break past the traffic jam just outside the outskirts of where their grandfather lived. That was when things became messy. As they pulled into the more heavily populated areas, fear had seeped in through every nook and cranny, infecting everyone. Sirens wailed, though the authorities seemed unable to determine where to go first. And then she got her first glimpse of them.

The basic human features were still present- ears, eyes, nose, mouth. But they lacked all sense of humanity, of true awareness and nuanced emotions. Blood was smeared across the faces of these strange, infected victims, coating their cheeks or dripping from mouths twisted into harsh moans. Even their faces seemed warped, taking on a strange almost fungal appearance. They charged down anyone unfortunate enough to be walking- no, running, sprinting, fleeing- out in the open. Cars flew past, crashing into humans and infected alike. Shots rang out. Radios blared panicked orders and updates. It was all a rush of sights and sensations-

Crash!

A car came careening straight into the passenger side of their vehicle, sending it skirting out of control. Everyone inside screamed as gravity and inertia took over, lodging them into a dip just off the side of the road. Irunya's shoulder slammed hard into her door, and from the back she heard the pained cries of her brother and sister. The car was tipped forward precariously, but they were- mercifully- on solid enough ground. But now they had no more car…

The horror of this latest update evaporated as Irunya's eyes flicked upward and she saw, framed magnificently in the windshield, the housing complex their grandfather lived in. Her shoulder screaming in protest, Irunya tore off her seatbelt and clambered to the back of the car.

"Are you alright?" she asked breathlessly. Her stomach churned unpleasantly. Natalya's long pale hair was stained red from a cut on her temple where she had banged into the window. Ivan was clutching his leg and taking deep, staggered breaths.

"It hurts," Natlya murmured as her sister took off her jacket and pressed it to her temple.

"I know, I know, I am so sorry, darling," Irunya cooed miserably. "Grandpa's house is just near here. He will make it better, I promise. This will help. We just need to go a little bit further now. Ivan?" she called to her brother, whose face had paled considerably. "Natalya is going to help you- just lean on her, and I will get us to grandpa, alright?" He gave a stiff nod.

It was slow going now that they were wounded. Between the uneven, grassy terrain and the darkness, they had to maneuver carefully to avoid further injury. Irunya's shoulder throbbed with each breath of night air, every beat of her heart, each foot moved one in front of the other further along. Beside her, Ivan and Natalya clambered through the shrubbery while she continued to apply pressure to Natalya's cut. Blood had already seemed through the makeshift bandage, but she trudged on. Around them, the sounds of chaos continued to disrupt the late hour. The occasional lights from police cars gave them brief flashes of sight, illuminating the ground in bursts of red and blue, providing a brief reprieve from their blind hobbling.

Irunya caught sight of Natalya's pale, strained features. "Here, let me switch, I'll help him while you-"

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Their slow, painful march came to a halt as the three siblings stared down the barrel of a gun. The man, bleary-eyed and frightened, someone with barely anymore knowledge than them of the situation, a man recruited last minute to try and summon some order, let the gun dip slightly as he took in the sight before him. He pressed the button to his radio. "Sir, I got three wanderers here- the oldest can't be more than sixteen." Irunya felt Ivan's shoulders droop with premature relief. They were with help now- someone else who would be able to aid them, someone older, a figure of authority-

The crackle of a reply. Irunya could not see the officer's face, as the light from his flashlight muted his features, but there was no mistaking the sudden tensing of his figure. "But sir- kids too?"

Another crackle. The hand retreated from the radio, to rest instead beneath the handle of the gun, levelling it.

"NO!"

An echoing bang! followed by a rush of motion, as Irunya shove them roughly, and the three siblings fell in a tangle of limbs to the ground. Pain seared through Ivan's leg as it crumpled beneath him and he collapsed on top of Irunya, Natalya close behind, her platinum hair fanning out over them all like some delicate shield. With a strangled cry of pain, Ivan raised himself on shaking arms, had just a moment to look down and ask Irunya if she was alright, when a scream of agony tore through the air. He looked up, saw Natalya seething with rage as her eyes locked on the gunman, the man they had looked to for help, for hope, and pounced forward. Ivan, anchored to his spot on the ground by his broken leg, lurched forward and seized her by the wrist, holding on for dear life as she scrambled, desperate to reach their attacker, screaming an incoherent mix of hateful curses and sobs.

"YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED HER!"

Then another loud bang! cut across her, but this time there was no pain, rush of motion, no last sacrifice of a devoted sister, only a surprised yelp and a dull thud of a body hitting the ground.

More to avoid looking down and seeing the inevitable than anything else, Ivan turned around and saw their grandfather, his own gun still aimed at the area where the man had stood, now slumped in the dirt.

Natalya's continued sobs was what drove their grandfather from his reverie. He swooped down at once, a deep frown curling beneath his bristled beard. "What on earth are you three doing out?" he hissed, kneeling beside him. His eyes fell on his granddaughter, face down, limbs flailed out at awkward angles. With sudden care unexpected from so gruff a man, he gently turned her over, and Ivan was forced at last to look the horrible truth in the face.

Irunya was not gone yet, but the parts of her face not stained red from tears of pain were paling by the second. From inside her inner jacket pocket, the classwork she had brought with every intention of completing at her grandfather's house was stained crimson.

"Child, you need to just hold on," their grandfather murmured, pressing the fabric of his jacket to the wound in her chest. She gave a wet sob of pain, and he was sorely tempted to retract his hand, but did not, knowing that their seconds were precious. Ivan felt himself break as he clung to her, sure that if he held tight enough she would be unable to slip away.

"I…love you…all" she choked out, wincing as her insides betrayed her, as blood flooded through her and the pressure built, the darkness grew. She let her eyes slide shut briefly before she what felt like warm rain fell upon her cheeks, drop after drop, and she looked up to see her brother's violet eyes flooding with tears. His heartbroken face, Natalya's sadness that manifested in shaking rage, and her grandfather's silent expression of grief unimaginable blocked out the sky, wtiness to so many horrors this night. "Please…stay safe…through the rest of this…" The pressure became too much…her very insides were collapsing upon themselves…the lights faded…

From somewhere far away, or perhaps less than a foot away, new cries of unrelenting pain rent the night air.

"The streets are flooded with militia."

"No one is quite sure yet where this strange epidemic came from."

"Vaccines are being pumped through drug companies at unprecedented rates. Others, however, are choosing to try and make their own."

"The Infected, as they are being called, have breached what had been a massive area of safety in thirteen states."

"New leadership positions are available for filling, as their previous owners have become Infected."

"Reports show this epidemic present across the globe. Because of safety concerns, however, travel is being limited, and only those with top qualification will be allowed to even make an appeal to travel abroad."

"State borders have become infested with Infected, who have now settled into massive packs of sorts."

"With martial law in effect across more than thirty states, the resistance group known as the Fireflies has begun causing disruptions with renewed zeal."

"Join the Fireflies and you will have safety. Join the Fireflies and you will have life."

Well, here it is! The prologue to my next big project, a Hetalia Last of Us AU. For a good portion of the time, this will follow the plot of the game with the necessary twists to cater to the Hetalia part of it. For example, all the characters will be their Hetalia canon ages (physically, not really- poor Yao wouldn't be functioning so well at 4000). I know pretty much who will be the equivalent of who already, I just have some decisions to make about the ending. I don't think it's necessary to have played the game to read this, hopefully everything can be explained well within the piece itself? This is one can of worms I am both nervous and excited to open, as the game itself is very…grand in scale. And I want to do it justice, and there are a lot of parallels I want to make. Updates will hopefully be very two weeks. If there are any suggestions, corrections, or just thoughts in general on this, I'd love to read them! Thank you for taking the time to read this!

Translations

Allo: Hello (over the phone, in Ukrainian)

Shto eta: What is it (Russian)