I have an alternate ending that I'm only going to post if I get 5 reviews asking for it. Because I don't usually write sad stuff, I like happy endings. Most people do. Enjoy.
They are wrong.
All of the books, comics and movies have everything wrong. Authors and directors thought they knew, thought they had everything sorted out, but they didn't. Of course, no one ever expects anything written in books or playing on-screen to actually happen in real life.
But this did.
Shoot them to the ground, they eventually get back up. Smash their brains in with a shovel, they slow down, even temporarily black out. But they keep coming. Dismember them, they still move.
No matter what is done, the zombies do not stop.
Days without Human Contact: 24
It's strange, walking through the empty streets of Karakura. Not a month ago, I would have been walking to school with friends, relaxed. Real, living friends. Ichigo, and Rukia, and Orihime.
The only warning was the siren. It was blaring, loud, dangerous, and I'll never forget the intimidating ring.
People started dying, just dropping like flies, only to reanimate and kill those dearest to them in a frenzied hunger for flesh. It was like a wildfire, and as far as I know, I'm the only human left in town.
Now, I'm stalking through the streets, on guard, keeping to the shadows with my shotgun raised. Every crunch makes me flinch, every bird flying overhead making the hairs on the back of my neck rise.
Everything seems dead. Grey.
The empty water bottle at my hip bounces as you walk, reminding me of the importance of finding a clean and uncontaminated supply.
It's a small victory when I reach the convenience store uninterrupted, but I'm not prepared to relax; not just yet. I gaze into the shop window, looking for any sign of activity. When I can't see any, my eyes drift to the girl reflected back at me. Her light hair is dry and matted with dirt and blood, splatters of the red substance streaking across her tired face. Her green eyes are hollow and unfeeling, with ugly bags beneath them. I realise with a start that this girl is myself. But hey, having to repeatedly put bullets between the eyes of your friends and family does this to a person, doesn't it?
Shifting my weapon, I make my way to the entrance of the store, cringing as the automatic doors slide open with a sharp beep. The countdown begins; I have minutes before the nearest undead arrive. They may be stupid, but they have instinct. Instinct that will be telling them that where there's sound, there's food. God help me if I have to shoot down Orihime again. I don't think my already damaged heart would be able to take it.
Poor, innocent Orihime, who would never hurt a fly. She doesn't deserve what's happened to her. Nobody in town does. Where's the Soul Society when we need them most? Surely they have some way to fix all of this mess?
I move through the aisles quickly, prop open the back door in preparation for a hasty escape, and return to where the water is. I fling a few bottles in my rucksack, heart lurching with anxiety as I hear the first groans of the walking corpses. I have to move fast, I'm running out of time!
I swing my rucksack onto my back and pick up my shotgun, spinning to the back entrance. A flash of black and white makes my eyes widen. A soul reaper?
No.
My heart sinks as I sprint from the store, the first window smashing making it clear that this was no longer a safe place to go. The back streets are becoming darker. I'm too far away from the safety of Karakura High's roof.
The sun is setting.
The dead come out to play now.
I almost screech out in anguish as I stand in the moonlit street, seeing hordes of the undead swarming the school's roof. But I catch myself, realising that I might have been stuck up there with them. At least I have my weapon and water. Maybe this was a sign. Maybe it was time to let go of Karakura. It was obvious that there was no one alive here anymore.
From this point I know that I have to keep moving from town to town. What about cities? No. No cities. Higher population of living equals a higher population of undead.
I turn, and this time the flash of black and white really is a soul reaper. He's standing with his back to me, silent, but the white hair is unmistakable.
"Toshiro?!"
The small Soul Reaper sways slightly, spinning slowly towards the sound of my voice with an all too familar groan. His face is a pasty grey, splattered with blood. I feel my heart break, "No, not you too..." My voice is quiet, shaking.
He's one of them.
But he seems...different. There's the flicker of recognition in his eyes, but I had seen that before, a split second before the same person who looked at me like that tried to chew my throat out. I raise my weapon, finger gently in place against the trigger. This isn't Toshiro anymore, and I understand that. But he hasn't tried to kill me yet. Why?
That dumb recognition is still there in his still gorgeous eyes. He stumbles forward. I stagger backwards. "S-stay away!" I know there's no sense in talking to him, he doesn't understand me. But I still do. I did the same for everyone else, too. As if I was trying to talk them into becoming normal again.
It never works.
My finger twitches, but my stomach heaves at the prospect of pulling the trigger. Toshiro-no, it isn't moving towards me anymore, but it's still gazing at me.
I wait for it to make the first move, but it's like a statue. I need to move, before the others catch the scent of living flesh on the wind. It's simple; a shot to the head and it won't get up for a few hours or so. Easily enough time for me to escape.
But that look in it's eyes isn't fading, and as long as that's there, I can't pull the trigger.
Groans reverberate around the street as an undead on the school roof spots our little stand-off. Quickly, make a decision now...
I know that it isn't close enough to make a grab for me if I were to bolt. So I lower the gun, and run away.
It doesn't even protest.
Days Without Human Contact: 26
"Stop following me!" I shout at the white-haired corpse. It just stares back, that incessant familiarity in it's eyes unnerving me beyond belief.
I had freaked out when I woke up in the middle of the first night of leaving Karakura to the undead standing over me, just staring with it's piercing blue eyes. Fresh blood coated it's face. It had fed. Recently, as well.
I had shot it in the foot. Twice. Followed by a lot of running.
But it had easily found me and just started stumbling after me, like a child with it's mother. It hadn't moved to attack me yet, just curiously shadowed me.
Now, after two days of the damn thing tailing me, the cracking of my boots against the hard tarmac of the highway almost covers it's shuffling and groaning. Almost, but not quite. The constant reminder that it's there, following, is keeping my senses on high alert. I'm listening that intently that I keep seeing grey spots before my eyes. My muscles are coiled that tightly that they feel weak and exhausted. Or maybe that's because I haven't eaten a decent meal in a week or so. Maybe longer. Even so, I can't help but feel like I need to talk to it. Perhaps my mental health is deteriorating quicker than my physical health.
I spin again, glaring at the creature, "Quit it!"
I stumble slightly as the muscles in my legs begin to give in under the strain of constantly holding up the fight or flight reflex under the burning sun. I curse under my breath. I can't even understand why or how it got this hot and dry so quickly. Was it something to do with the plague?
With barren land either side of the road as far as I can see, and a zombie behind me, I'm dead if I go down now.
I stumble again and can't save myself from the fall. I hit the tarmac hard with a grunt, and sensing my weakness, something large darts out of the underbrush at the side of the road. It's angry, alive, and hungry.
And it's coming straight for me.
But faster than I can register, faster than I have ever seen any of the undead move, the one tailing me is at the predator, tearing it to bloody shreds in a flash of sudden hunger. I shudder, feeling the colour drain from my face as a new crimson splashes across it. My stomach churns, and I roll as I spill the contents onto the baking floor beside my head.
The world is spinning around me, clouds spiralling and contorting into ghastly faces as I roll onto my back. They change and shift; into my friend's faces. They're normal, and then they rip into the masks of the undead, holes blown in from where I had shot them myself.
The ripping and gurgling of the murdered animal fades as my vision blacks out.
It's dawn when I come to, and for a few seconds, I wonder if I'm dead. But then I see the stars and the sun beginning to rise in the distance, and realize that there's no way I would get off that easily. I'm still on the highway, however, and as I sit up the smell of puke knocks me sick, but I have nothing left in my stomach to hurl.
A few feet away is the mutilated corpse of a wild dog. Stripped of skin and meat, it's obvious that my shadow made a fast meal of it. But why didn't it make one of me? The hunger of the undead is relentless; they're never satisfied. So why aren't I dead, or one of them?
The object of my thoughts isn't in my field of vision, so I turn to look for it.
It's sat right next to me.
I screech and push away on my hands and butt, grazing and cutting my wrists on stray rocks. The corpse stares blankly and dumbly after my retreating form.
My chest is heaving, breaths coming in short, panicked bursts, holding my wounded hand to my chest. I stare at it, waiting for any signs of movement, and I feel my heart sting. Of all of the undead that could have possibly followed me like this, why did it have to be Toshiro? Is the reason that he could find me easily because he was a Soul Reaper before he turned?
We had been friends before all of this...mess. Despite my being human, I had fallen in love with the short stop, and then this happens to him. Why couldn't Soul Society have sent a different Shinigami to their deaths? Why did it have to be him?
I sniffle a little, eyes burning from brewing tears. It does nothing but stare.
"Why don't you just kill me already?" I know it's ridiculous asking it the question, but maybe the aggressiveness or hopelessness in my voice will trigger it. I feel so done.
Like I expect, there's no answer. But I blink, and it's suddenly right in my face. I gasp, falling backwards, but catching myself with my hand. I'm shaking now. I had been close to the undead before, but not this close. There's the scent of rotting flesh on it's breath and I shudder. It blankly observes. Then it's face contorts and I wince, slamming my eyes shut and preparing for death.
"Nur...nnn..Nugh...o..." The groan is haunting, terrifying, but sounds more than a groan at the same time. I keep my eyes clamped shut and whimper as it carries on, "...Nng...o...N...o..."
"...No."
My eyes snap open in shock. It was unearthly, horrifying and inhuman, but there was no mistaking the word.
The corpse above me has just answered my question. It's stare is pinning me to the ground, it's so powerful. I do nothing to stop it as it takes my injured wrist. It looks at the blood hungrily before descending on it, but not biting. Just licking and lapping at my blood. In stunned surprise, I wonder how it knows to stay away from the cuts to stop me becoming infected. Perhaps it doesn't. It pulls away and it's bloody mouth shifts again.
"...Eva...hi...Evahi..."
It looks slightly content with itself after it says my name. Well, as content as a zombie can look. Me? Well, I'm bewildered. But the fear soon returns, as it hasn't moved away from me yet. But I don't know what to do. I'm genuinely shell-shocked.
It doesn't last as a piercing gunshot sends him flying off me.
I'm pulled to my feet with a startled squeal, and someone's pulling my head and arms around, looking for any signs of bites. "Are you bitten?" A masculine voice growls.
I shrug the guy off, glaring, "No. I'm fine, thanks. I can handle myself."
The middle-aged man's eyes crease as he chuckles without humour, "I could see that." He mocks. A sudden groan from Toshiro's direction distracts the man, and he cocks his gun.
My eyes widen, and I move in his path before I can consider what I'm doing, "No!" I yell, arms spread.
He doesn't stop, almost ploughing me over, "What are you, insane? That thing will kill us, move outta the way!" He barks.
"No! Couldn't you see? He wasn't hurting me!" I protest.
He makes to hit me with the butt of his shotgun and I flinch away. Neither of us notice the group of undead until they descend on him.
He screams horribly as he goes down, and I mirror it as I scramble out-of-the-way of clutching hands and biting teeth. There's suddenly too many of them. I know that this is the moment I'm going to die. In the madness, I find myself looking for my undead companion. He's still on the floor and I race over to him, grasping his shoulder and pulling him up. The shot had hit his shoulder, nearly blowing his arm off.
His eyes look dazed and pained, which I would find weird if I hadn't seen him be so strange as a zombie anyway. His presence and the still screaming hunter seems to keep the undead away from me, but I know it won't be for long.
I'm crying now, apologising to everyone in my head. I realise that the words are spilling out of my mouth in painful gasps. Orihime, Ichigo, Chad, Uryu. Why am I the only one that survived? It's not fair. Now I'm apologising to Toshiro. He didn't have to be involved in this, he didn't have to end up like this. Wasn't dying once painful enough?
I knew he couldn't understand, so I let the words flow. "I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you."
The hunter's screams stop. The feeding begins.
I sob harder, clutching the torn fabric of Toshiro's shirt and moving into him as if trying to hide. I don't want to become an undead. I don't want to be ripped to shreds by a herd either. Both are about to happen, as soon as they run out of meat from the hunter.
An arm wraps around my waist and a head rests on top of my own. Toshiro stands slowly with me in his arms. Once on our feet, the first undead reaches the end of it's supply of food and looks over towards the scent of fresh flesh coming from me.
My own undead pushes past me, standing in front of me almost protectively as the herd of corpses become aware of our presence. I'm frozen to the ground, terrified.
"...L..lu..lov...e..." He struggles, but I get the gist, and as he turns to me slightly, his arm swinging sickly from the socket and his eyes in pain, my heart shatters.
No, not again.
The undead are moving now, fighting to get to the next meal.
"Ru...n..."
No...!
"Follow me." I beg.
A sad smile. "I...wi...will...Run..."
I do as he says this time, tears pouring down my cheeks as I spin on my heel and take off.
I try to ignore Toshiro's screams, but I can't.