A/N: Back with a vengeance peoples! After over a year hiatus, I've not given up on "When you are ready" but I'm still trying to work out where I want to go with it. So in the interim, we have "...And the Dead". I'm going to wait for some reviews to see if I should continue with it.
*Disclaimer* - I do not own Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, and Miroku. I also have incorporated some parts loosely from The Walking Dead graphic novels.
Oh. This is very important. This story WILL have lemons eventually if we end up continuing with it. You will be warned in the beginning of those chapters. If you decide to send me a nasty review stating that you do not approve of the content and/or you will report me...you will get a response from me personally saying "Tough shit. You were warned." I'm sick and tired of stuck up people who thrive on discounting what other people have written.
Anyway, I've written this because a) I got really bored at work while struggling through a 12 hour shift b) I got really tired of reading about 17 year old high school Kagome falling for the bad boy Inuyasha. Or the prim and proper Kagome and the rough around the edges Inuyasha coming together, fucking like rabbits for a few chapters in a story with no substance.
And here we go. Presenting: "...And the Dead":
Chapter 1
Zombies. Didn't it just have to be fucking zombies? However, she was prepared for the zombie apocalypse. She had spent years before the outbreak fortifying her home. It was a testament to all end of the world fanatics. Her land stood at the top of a hill, perfect in case there was an attack, living or undead. Around the perimeter of her land was a ten-foot wall of concrete with a six-inch armor plated core. Which she also had catwalks around the inside of the wall incase her territory needed to be defended. On top of the wall, as an extra precaution she had looped barbed wire installed. Her old wooden gates were replaced with military grade gates to keep the horrors outside at bay.
Inside the compound, however, Kagome had solar panels installed connected to various generators which could run on either solar power or gas. Water filtration systems kept her bathing, drinking, and cooking water safe and clean. She had vegetable and fruit gardens, along with a few livestock. She had a few hens, a rooster, two cows, and a pig. In a small, locked shed outside she had a surplus of weapons, along with extra provisions. Needless to say, Kagome was prepared for whatever may happen. She just didn't expect zombies to be real. Anarchy in the streets yes, but zombies, not so much.
No one ever believed her when she began this endeavor five years ago. Yet, now, all those naysayers were dead, or at the very least stumbling around looking for prey. Her best friend Ami was brought down by one of Kagome's own arrows. Kagome still felt a pang of regret over that day. Ami hadn't even turned yet. She was bitten, she panicked, and ran to Kagome's fortified wall. Kagome saw the bandage on her best friends wrist, stained red with blood, and the fear in her friends eyes. Her pleads for help were answered with an arrow through the brain. What could she do? Let her in so she could turn, attack her livestock and then her? Hell no. It was much better to end her before the fever, sweats, terrible pain, coma, then turning. The same thing happened to Kagome's family, though she was not there to see it first hand. It was in the beginning weeks of the outbreak. When panic ran rampant through the streets of the city. Kagome set out to rescue her family the morning after she spoke with her mother on the still working telephones. She made her way up the shrine steps, gasping in horror to find the place in ruins. A quick search of the home yielded no family members. She searched until she saw the only closed door on the shrine, the old well house. She opened the door slowly as not to attract the fifteen or so zombies still shuffling around the shrine grounds. Gramps was lying on the ground on his back, his stomach torn open with Momma and Souta feasting on his entrails. Tears threatening to fall from her eyes, she ended them with her crossbow. Then, she entered her family's home, gathered what supplies she could, and made her way home. Then, and only then, did she let those tears loose. She sobbed herself to sleep. Yet, in the morning she knew she had work to do. She lit incense and prayed for her family members to watch over her and forgive her for not coming sooner. She also prayed that they would forgive her for ending them.
That was over six months ago. Now, it seemed that Kagome was the last living soul in her part of the city. Which, to Kagome, she might as well have been the last living person on Earth. She longed for companionship. Out of impulse on one of her many runs into the city for supplies, she came across a police car in a ditch along side of one of the many highways. Peering inside, she saw it. The radio. She grabbed it, along with a few guns and ammunition. Never could have too much right? She returned home, put away most of the supplies she managed to find, and with shaking hands put down the radio on her dining room table. Turning the power on, she tried every channel with the same message.
"Hello? My name is Kagome. If you are in the area and can hear me, please respond."
Finally, one afternoon, someone responded.
"Hello? Hello? My name is Sango. Are you there?" a woman said. Desperately hoping that Kagome's voice was not a recording.
"Yes!" Kagome nearly yelled. She was barely able to contain her excitement. "I'm here. Where are you?"
"Oh my Gods! We've been alone for so long!" Sango said, struggling to keep maintain her voice. "We're on the outskirts of town, by the river. How many are in your group?"
"It's just me" Kagome said softly. "How many do you have?"
"Twelve. We did have more though, we lost them" Sango replied. "Are you safe where you are?"
"Yes. I have my home protected." Kagome answered.
"Could we come to you?" Sango said hastily. "We've lost so many people already. And you're the first person we've made contact with."
"How many have you killed?" Kagome asked. She had been preparing this question since she found the radio.
"Seven." Sango replied.
"Are you the leader?" Kagome continued.
"I guess. We just kind of survive out here" Sango sounded empty as she said that.
Kagome felt sympathy for the woman and her small group. She had so much and she was safe here, why not add a few more? She provided the woman with her location and stated that they could make it to her in a few days provided they met no undead.
Sango nearly cried at the invitation. She said she would speak with the group and give Kagome a response by morning. Kagome said she would leave the radio on to hear for her response.
But it never came. Sorrow gripped Kagome's heart. She still left the radio on, in hopes that she may hear Sango's voice again, or any voice for that matter. She tried the channel she had found Sango, only to hear static. This went on for days and days. Just when Kagome was ready to give up she heard a voice from over the wall.
"Kagome?!", it was loud enough to hear but low enough not to attract attention.
Kagome sprinted across the yard, opened the spy hole, and bright brown eyes met hers. Living eyes, not glazed over. A woman, she could only assume Sango and two others who's backs were to her, keeping watch. Two men. She hurried them inside, fastened the gate, and finally turned to see her guests. All of them had collapsed to the ground in exhaustion and relief from finally being safe.
"Thank you" Sango was the first to speak.
"Welcome." Kagome said awkwardly. It had been nearly a year since she saw another living soul, and she was rusty on etiquette. "Come with me. I'll show you where you'll be staying. You guys can get cleaned up."
The three newcomers got up, grabbed their packs, and followed Kagome to her home. They were astonished that it looked so untouched by the hell of outside Kagome's fortified wall. Kagome showed each of them a bedroom and then showed them the bathroom.
"I have hot water so get yourselves cleaned up. There's soap and stuff in there. Umm, there might be men's soap under the sink from when my brother used to stay here. Just don't go too crazy on the water ok?" Kagome said. "I'll be outside if you need anything." Kagome left them then.
Over an hour later, the three newcomers emerged from Kagome's home, looking refreshed. They approached Kagome who was seated under the apple tree, picking through the vegetables and fruits she had picked, snacking on an apple as she worked.
Sango sat down opposite her looking grateful and relieved. The other two sat down on either side of Sango, looking intently at Kagome.
"Hi. My name is Sango and this is Miroku and that's Inuyasha." She said indicating each of the men by turn.
"Hi. I'm Kagome. Do you feel better?" Kagome asked.
"Yes. Thanks." Sango said. The other two nodded in agreement.
"Good. I'm glad. I was worried that you were overrun." She continued.
"We did." Miroku said. "We're all that's left of our group, mostly thanks to Inuyasha. Being that's he's a half demon"
"Wait. A what?" Kagome asked. She had heard that there may be demons in the area but she had never seen them.
"Half demon, woman." Inuyasha said heatedly.
"Well shit. Now I've seen everything." Kagome said brightly.
Quickly changing the subject, Sango interjected with, "Why are you all alone Kagome?"
"I've lost my family during all of this. It was during the early weeks of the panic. I didn't make it there in time. By the time I got there, my mother and brother had turned and were feasting on my grandfather. He was old and week, he couldn't fight back." Kagome said sadly.
"I'm sorry" Miroku said solemnly.
"It's getting easier. You never get over it, you just live with it and try to overcome it. That's something I guess. Momma always said 'You can't save everyone'." Kagome said trying to smile.
"I call bullshit. You should have saved them." Inuyasha said icily.
"What the fuck?" Sango said whipping around at her friend.
"No it's fine. He's right. I should have moved them during the first wave of the outbreak. They lived in a relatively unpopulated area of the city and I thought they would be safe. I was wrong. I had no idea they would be overrun like that." Kagome said consolingly.
Inuyasha scoffed at her in reply.
"You weren't here. You didn't see the chaos of the panic." Kagome said defensively. Did she not just bring them into her home, saving them from the scores of undead outside?
"Please forgive Inuyasha, Kagome. Our friend here has no manners to speak of." Miroku tried to explain.
"It's fine. If you prefer outside these walls Inuyasha, no one is stopping you. If you prefer to stay here, it's fine also. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm getting dinner started soon."
Then Kagome got up and made her way towards the house with her basket of fruits and vegetables.
"Way to go, shithead" Miroku hissed at Inuyasha. "You're going to get us kicked out of here and we've just arrived."
"She's right Inuyasha. We came to the city from the countryside, so we didn't see how bad it was. We just saw the mess left behind," retorted Sango. "It probably spread quicker here."
Inuyasha, who had honestly not thought of that, decided to give the woman some slack. Just some.