Summary - Post G Rev world championships & post Zombie apocalypse. Boris, embittered, has taken his revenge one step too far - Releasing a toxin into the water that infects humans with a reanimating virus. A few familiar faces survive the initial outbreak to fight the undead.

Rating - M for violence and horror, also for sexual content

Tokyo at night. A far cry from what it once was. No lights, no sound, no people. Wrapped in a blanket of grime and pain, harbouring memories of what had once been; the city sleeps. For now. A street normally bustling, long ago lined with shops lies dormant. Broken windows expose the innards of shattered buildings, each one now murky and unwelcoming. A faint but icy wind blows through the street, disturbing the rubbish that litters the ground, lifting a piece of newspaper and leading it through a maze of upturned and abandoned cars. It stops, caught at the feet of a young man who stands in the doorway of a dilapidated building that had once been a pharmacy..

Kai grimaced, tightening his coat around him. It was cold tonight, even colder than usual. He wondered if he would ever feel the sun's warmth on his skin again. Doubtful. Since the Infection the sun had all but retreated, burrowing off deep into space, away from this polluted and infected planet. Not that he blamed it, why give heat or light to a planet almost devoid of humanity? The real reason the sun had diminished was a far more sinister one.

What became known as "The Bolkov Infection" had taken everything good from the world, leaving behind it a ravaged and dangerous land of shadows. Boris, the twisted fool, enraged by his defeat at the world championships had retaliated by releasing a powerful toxin into the water supply. He couldn't rule the world so he may as well destroy it. But even he couldn't have planned for the subsequent results.

7 months earlier..

Kai shook his head, watching Tyson in disbelief as he tried to sweet talk the waitress into giving him thirds. He was pulling out all the stops, finally using his status as World Champion to convince her, she looked irritated but piled more food on his plate. Grunting in disgust he rolled his eyes at Ray who sat opposite, but he just laughed easily and held up his own plate for the waitress.

Kai leaned back and looked around at the table. With the World Championships over and Tyson crowned once more, the BBA had arranged a reunion for all the competing teams. This reunion was taking place in the grounds of the stadium itself, and a lavish meal had been laid out, with everyone seated together on one long table. Despite the fact that it had been just a few days since the epic final battles, all of the teams had accepted the invitation – even the BEGA League, a subdued Brooklyn himself seated next to Tyson. Remarkably, given all that had happened the meal was going well, and the general mood was a relaxed one with all of the teams mixing and chatting. Kai wasn't usually one for large gatherings like this, but he and Tala had been officially discharged from hospital today, and oddly he had felt compelled to see everyone.

His lips twisted up in wry amusement as he caught sight of Tyson furtively stealing a handful of chips from Max's plate. Some things never changed. He had found himself seated next to Johnny, the Scottish player from the Majestics, who was arguing profusely with Lee from the White Tigers over certain elements of his blade. They had even attempted to drag him into the discussion earlier but he declined with a derisive snort. Kai found himself strangely at ease, for some reason today he didn't mind being around everybody – even Tyson. He looked up at the bright sky, relishing the warm breeze. After everything that had happened. for the first time in a long, long time he felt almost content.

An agonised shriek bought his peaceful thoughts to an end, bewildered he looked for the source of the noise. He didn't have to look far. A few seats away Ming-Ming was convulsing on the floor, screaming and spluttering in pain. Her fingers clutched desperately at her stomach as she writhed around, moaning in agony. People were slow to react, most staring silently in shocked confusion. Enrique, who had been sitting next to her just seconds ago, flirting in earnest, remained frozen in his seat, a look of horror on his face. Max's mother scrambled out of her chair to her knees next to the tormented girl, desperately attempting to stop the violent convulsions, but the spasms worsened and she was forced to move away in dismay.

"IT BUUUURNS" Ming-Ming screeched, gripping her stomach and rolling over onto her knees, she looked up at the people near her, frenzied eyes wide and beseeching, full of tears. "H..help me?" she whispered, before vomiting a fountain of thick blood so dark it was almost blue. Kenny, who had rushed to her side moments beforehand, stumbled back in horror, covered in her blood.

"What the fuck? Someone get help!" His hoarse cry broke the silence, and he fell to his knees next to Ming-Ming, lifting her head into his lap. She groaned , eyes rolling back in her head. Fuelled into action, many of the Beybladers rushed towards her, whilst others frantically began calling for help. Amongst the havoc, all but Kai failed to notice Max – he had clambered to his feet to see what had happened, but all at once his face had drained of colour and he too had dropped into a crouch. Now Max was clasping his hands to his stomach, eyes bugging out in distress, rocking. He let out a strangled moan, pitching forward onto the ground.

Disbelievingly Kai leapt to his feet and started towards him, pushing people out of the way. As he reached Max the blonde boy started to cough up the same glutinous, blue tinged blood as Ming-Ming. Appalled he took a step back, mind racing, knees trembling. What the hell was going on? A guttural roar sounded behind him and he spun around in time to witness Eddy slump helplessly over the table, blood dripping from his mouth.

Cold seeped slowly into his brain, time almost grinding to a halt as he gazed around, numb. The sound of his wildly thumping heart drowned out the panicked screams, as he silently watched the people around him begin to drop, one by one..

Kai shook his head slightly as if trying to clear his mind of the memories, it didn't do anyone any good to dwell on the past, history couldn't be changed. Deciding he had already lingered in this place too long he glanced around, eyes swiftly scanning the deserted street checking for movement. Despite the pitch black his vision had become adjusted to picking out small details in the dark – he had had to adapt, they all had.

Sighing, he moved back into the empty pharmacy and picked up his rucksack. He shook his head bitterly in the darkness. Mariah.. Why the hell had she been so idiotic? So reckless? He had watched her, observed silently, impassively, listening to Ray's desperate protestations. He knew she wouldn't listen, she was ignorant before the end of society, and she was still ignorant now. How could she have thought that Lee was still alive after all this time? Because of a pathetic dream? Ridiculous. Kai had little patience for the pink haired girl, although he admired her tenacity, plus her catlike abilities were more than useful in a fight. However, clearly not useful enough to ensure her safety outside of the group.

Mariah had woken up that morning consumed by a dream that she had had, in which her brother Lee was alive and well, safe and barricaded in a hospital on the other side of the city. She had begun by begging Ray to come with her to find him, but Ray, although he loved her, was not stupid and had joylessly refused, trying to get her to see reason. When her pleas to the rest of the group had fallen on tired, deaf ears she had retreated to her room in an enraged sulk. As usual they had all just assumed that she would remain there for a while until she calmed down.

However, hours later when she still hadn't resurfaced Ray had gone to check on her, only to discover her room empty, her bag of weapons gone along with her lifeless Beyblade. There was no question about whether or not they would go after her. She had told them where the hospital was and they knew what route she would take, it would only be a matter of time before they caught up with her. Rescue missions in a world such as theirs were never without casualties, and this one was no exception. Just hours after they had set out, they returned with a shaken and bleeding Mariah - just flesh wounds, she would live, but Michael had received a more major injury..

Grimly Kai took the aged bottle of penicillin out of his pocket at rolled it in the palm of his hand, they had been lucky this time, most of the pharmacies had been gutted in this area. Hopefully this would be enough. As he slid the bottle back into his pocket his fingers brushed cold, smooth metal. He tightened his fingers around his old Beyblade. Dranzer.. He missed his Bitbeast immensely. With the defilement, and pollution of the world the Bitbeasts had all fled, not that he blamed them. He kept his empty blade now just for sentimental value, they were all but useless.

Slipping outside he braced himself against the wind, scanning the street for access to the rooftops. He didn't like being on the ground, it made him feel exposed and unprotected, especially with no one to watch his back. Brooklyn had offered to accompany him to get the medical supplies but Kai had refused, relishing the opportunity to escape from the cramped building they all shared. The old fire station they had converted into an almost impenetrable fort was great for keeping the infected out, terrible for keeping one's sanity.

Crossing to the other side of the road he leapt nimbly up a wall, grabbing onto a drainpipe. Climbing swiftly to the top he hoisted himself over the edge and onto the roof of an abandoned electrical shop – broken televisions still littering the street below. Without the help of their Bitbeasts the survivors had worked on their own physical strengths to survive, and only the very strongest had.

Many had fallen.

The Infected took no prisoners. They were fast, they were bloodthirsty, and they were extremely hard to kill.

With a quick look out over the silent city, Kai gathered his strength for the journey back to the others.

Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed it! the next chapter should have a bit more action, this was more of an intro chapter... :)