Rating: T for this chapter, but it'll probably go up later.

Summary: Shizuru Fujino is the lone survivor in a post-apocalyptic world, where most people are either dead or mindless flesh-eating husks. Will the unexpected meeting with another dark haired girl help save her from going insane?

Warnings: Horror, blood and violence, language and possible adult scenes in later chapters.

Pairings: The romance will not be always the main part from the story (I want to keep in moving), but there possibly will be a love triangle between Shizuru, Natsuki and Nao (the latter will appear later)

Author's Notes: Hello! So I was rewatching some zombie movies a few days ago, and suddenly I had the urge to write something on the topic, featuring the Mai-Hime cast. Plus, there are not enough zombie stories on this site :D Please have in mind that I don't intend for this story to resolve around the romance only. The characters will also have to deal with survival too, so expect from me to take it slowly. The characters themselves will probably seem kinda OOC, but let's not forget the circumstances (zombies, lack of everyday needs, the fact that you're one of the last living people on Earth) :D

Another thing, my punctuation (and sometimes my grammar) is probably really shitty, but I hope it won't be to annoying. English is not my first language.

I'll stop my rant here.

Enjoy!

With a heavy sigh I took a large gulp from the creased water bottle before raising my hand and casually wiping the small drops of cold sweat from my forehead. I then rested my head back on the car's seat and closed my eyes, enjoying the safety of the quiet solitude. No sounds of slow and hauling footsteps coming from the dark alley… No sounds of dragging nails against fragile windows or fierce banging on wooden doors… No sounds of—oh well, there was the very distant bothersome groaning every now and then but it wasn't something to be worried about.

It was really hot today. Not that I minded though. It definitely beat staying inside… where it was dark and empty and, I sighed again, safer than outside for sure. I was testing my luck by being out here, on the street, but it couldn't be helped. I had been holed up in that house for far too long – a week, I believe, maybe more.

'Time has long lost its meaning…'

"Speaking of time…" I murmured under my breath, took another sip of water, and leaned forward to the front window, looking up at the painfully blue sky.

The sun was setting. When I had left the 'headquarters', as I liked to call the small mansion, it hadn't reached its peak yet. 'Have I really been out for this long?'

I whistled in surprise, a sound that echoed quite noisily in the quiet neighbourhood. For a moment I thought I saw the houses on the two sides of the street moving with my peripheral vision, as if staring down at me with those dark, empty windows. And were those shadows creeping behind the one way glass? 'How dare you bother us with your presence? Go away or you'll die!'

My breath caught in my throat and I felt that sudden urge… that desperate need to hide behind the nearest corner and cry... 'Cry until the monsters go away' My hands shot straight to my face and gathered it in my palms. Parting my lips, I let out a soft sob. "Leave me alone, please"

What was that which my mother used to tell me when I was merely a fearful child, afraid of turning the lights off in my own room or the beast in the closet?

(Flashback)

"Close your eyes… Forget about your surroundings. Focus on your breathing and just… imagine"

"Imagine what, mama?" a six year old brown haired girl with intense, but also terrified, crimson eyes asked, hiding under the covers, occasionally peeking at the large closet in the corner of her room.

"Oh, well, you can imagine of how your dream world looks like, sweetheart." The adult woman, who sat on the corner of the small red bed, said lovingly, smiling at her little girl with warm ruby eyes. She was a spitting older image of her daughter.

"But I don't know how my dream world looks like" said the small girl, peeking with one eye above the covers, her voice laced in confusion.

The older Fujino chuckled. She leaned forward and kissed her precious child's forehead.

"Whatever you like, dear… You can imagine tall majestic castles, beautiful towns and …"

She proceeded to tell her daughter about princes and princesses, huge forests filled with friendly animals and birds. She spoke about fairies and magical creatures until the long descriptions morphed into a beautiful fairy tale in the young girl's mind and she fell asleep, barely catching the last words that left her mama's lips.

"Sleep well, child… I'm here."

(End Flashback)

And that's what I did.

'No, we will rip you to pieces!'

I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing. My imagination started drawing the images in my head and soon I found myself in a large green park.

Just a simple park… crowded with people. Some of them were laughing while talking to their closest friends. Some of them were taking their dogs for a walk, trying to catch up to them… Smiling… And others were just enjoying sitting on the benches, taking in the sight of the scenery around them.

That was what I wanted.

I opened my eyes.

The voices and the shadows, a sign that I was probably losing it with each day I spent alone in this God damned city, had disappeared… for now.

Why was this happening to me? I had started getting these hallucinations about a month ago! 'They are getting on my nerves' I thought. Funny, how I could change my moods so fast…

'I need a pet… I should go searching for some signs of animals nearby tomorrow.'

"Maybe I can find a ferret? Beats talking to the mirror" I told the air around me and chuckled dryly at my own joke. After considering it for a moment, I shrugged the idea off. "Nah, I barely have enough supplies for myself, let alone a pet."

Suddenly overcome with emotions, whose reasons I couldn't determine, I leaned heavily against the steering wheel and took a deep breath.

"Pathetic…"

How long had it been?

Two? Three months since the world went straight to hell?

Memories of screaming people, running for their lives, cars crashing into one another, and children, crying in the small pools of their parents' blood, came back flooding my head.

'Go away'

Bringing up my hands, I started massaging my temples gently to ease the slight headache that had been annoying me for hours, ridding myself of the visions that plagued my mind.

I brought my eyes upon the empty street. Only a few vehicles could be seen... They were abandoned… well, except that yellow van, which had crashed into a wooden fence on the side of the street. I could manage to see an unmoving silhouette on the driver's seat. 'Hmm, I should consider saying hi one day… if he isn't completely rotten by then'

"Enough! Straighten out!" I heard my own voice say sharply and felt a wave of encouragement.

'Yes, I'm wasting time' I needed to get to the 'headquarters' as quickly as possible. I still had some work to do.

"Wouldn't want to be out in the open when dawn comes" I whispered to myself, feeling a slight shiver travelling down my spine.

I grabbed the keys and started the engine of the big 4X4. I had found this beauty in a completely destroyed garage about a month ago, while I was scavenging for anything that would have come in handy. I never had been a big fan of cars, but the huge vehicle had definitely caught my attention. It felt safe.

As I drove down towards the yellow van, I caught a movement. The van's driver, my would-be acquaintance, had started shifting around in his sit. When I passed along the vehicle, his head turned towards the sound of the engine.

I was met by a bloody and disfigured face and a pair of empty black orbs… No, they were not empty… I could clearly see emotions blazing in those soulless pupils…

Rage… and something more, which I could only recognize as hunger… deep and insatiable hunger.

I had seen that expression far too many times.

Stepping on the pedal, I drove away, ignoring the wild shrieks that followed my leave.

"I guess I'm not saying hi after all" I grumbled with fake amusement in my voice.

I settled my eyes on the sky for a moment. It was probably about 5.30 p.m. It was still pretty hot so I didn't have any reason to worry about them anytime soon. For some reason they didn't like the sun much or, at least, they didn't like it when the temperature in the open was still too damn high. Maybe their skin decayed faster, I wouldn't know.

Nevertheless, my thoughts were soon forgotten as I sped through a couple of blocks, nearing the surrounding parts of the city. There weren't that many houses, offices and shops here… Maybe it was for the best… living here, that is. The central parts of the city were the first to get… wiped out. The rest of it followed quickly… It—No… They were like a plague, spreading without mercy, sparing no one… Except for the lucky ones… like myself.

"Am I lucky? Does staying alive actually beat being dead? Is there really any difference?" I asked myself as I passed along a sight that indicated that I was going the right way.

A pile of bodies, lying on top of each other… All burned to nothing but deformed ashes. I cringed as the vile, yet familiar stench reached my nostrils. Hardly sparing a glance at the gruesome scene, I thought about my question and soon had the answer.

"Debate is closed until further notice" Laughing, I continued on my way.

It was not long before I could finally see the big roof of my house, hidden by a few tall oak trees. Well, it wasn't exactly mine, but hey, if I was going to spend the rest of my miserable life alone in a world where no one could judge me, why not make it count… at least for a few more months?

Come to think of it, it wasn't really a house. It was a goddamn mansion. Whoever used to live here three months ago, they had been, without doubt, one of the richest people in the area. The building was two stored, with a very unique outer design, combining both medieval and modern elements. The 'fence' reminded me of one of those mossy castle walls I'd seen in history books, only not as high and covered by beautiful wild roses, which had probably grown over a couple of years. They even served me as a defense mechanism of sorts.

The yard wasn't very big, partly because there were many blooming flowers and the large pool. I preferred open spaces, I liked it when I could see danger from afar and avoid it as fast as I could, but I didn't really want to be picky so I ignored that fact. Plus, it looked like a little piece of Heaven.

The building itself was huge. The second store was covered with one way glass from all sides. I could spy on whatever was happening outside, not that anyone out there had anything to hide, but still… The roof even had a small tower on the side, just next to the long line of sun batteries.

The architect, who designed that house, was mad, but in a good way.

'One would think that the house is a home to a royal family.' I thought and giggled to myself.

I parked in front of the house and stopped the engine. For a moment my eyes lingered on the gas indicator behind the steering wheel. I froze and gritted my teeth. The thin arrow had gotten dangerously close to that small, sickeningly red E.

I sighed for probably the hundredth time this day and glared hard at the air, like a fool. I knew this would happen eventually, but I never clearly realize how soon this might be.

No gas meant that I wouldn't be able to drive. And I couldn't really go anywhere without a proper vehicle. Most abandoned cars on the streets usually had their engines and gas cans broken, and the precious fuel had long leaked on the dry concrete. Not to mention that there weren't many cars left in the outsides. Every sane person had immediately hurried to get out of the city when the first alarms went off.

That left me with two choices.

I could take the highway and exit the city, and reach the big traffic jams, which would never get moving again. The problem was that it had been packed with them up there, when I had tried to leave two months ago with my old rusty Dodge. And not just with the regular slow ones. Some of them were fast, fast enough to outrun and catch a normal human. I had yet to encounter one of them in the city. Hopefully, that wouldn't be happening any time soon.

My other option was to find a gas station and get a lifetime supply of fuel (of course, 'lifetime' wasn't exactly the right term for 'many, many years'). But this option also came with its difficulties. I had stumbled upon gas stations before and for some reason, the places were filled with… customers. A lot of customers who wanted nothing but to ea-, ahem, meet you. My guess was that it had something to do with the very smell of gasoline, which was stronger there. I didn't care, I wasn't an expert. However, that didn't change the fact that trying to get in a gas station was most probably suicidal.

I broke away from my thoughtful state (I seemed to be doing that a lot lately) and shook my head.

"No time for that. Plenty to think about this later" I chided myself and took out the keys.

I pulled out the car keys and, with a final glance to the gas indicator, I got out of the vehicle. I turned my head to the sun. I still had at least an hour left, if not less.

'Let's get started'

I went around to the trunk and opened it. I smiled a little as my eyes roamed over its contents, quite pleased with myself.

One would think that, if given the opportunity, getting a good weapon would be a piece of cake. That, however, was proven wrong by me. It turned out that either the people who used to live in the city were absolutely harmless, or maybe some looter had already… uhh, looted every gun in a radius of ten kilometers. Finding a firearm was problematic, not to mention the ammo. I had been receiving katana training when I was a child and up until turning seventeen I hadn't skipped a single session. I also had some experience with martial arts. However, hand-to-hand wasn't much useful. The police station, which could be the best place to get guns, was in the central part, which I tended to avoid. My first month of lonely wandering from house to house was spent with the family's 'emergency only' gun and forty one bullets. Needless to say, the weapon became useless fairly quick.

I had never thought I would ever change my… err, peaceful way of thinking, but marveling the beautifully polished handles of the pair of revolvers (three months and there was barely any dust on them) and the nicely round and heavy bag of ammunition I could swear I felt my heart skipping a beat for a second.

The food wasn't that much of a problem. Sure, I had to get used with the thought that I would probably never eat a fresh warm meal ever again, but the insane amount of canned soup and meat was enough to keep me alive and fed, and to me, that was what mattered. The box of cans was welcomed with just as much appreciation as disgust.

I had also supplied myself with clothing, which, thankfully, hadn't been damaged by moths. I had always been a bit picky about clothes and, even now, I could spend hours of searching for the right thing. The only clothes I wore these days, however, were different variations of jeans, shirts and tank tops, and I had long forgotten about maternal needs, such as fashion, but I liked to consider myself as a collector.

I quickly went through a large bag of things like tools, tooth paste, soap, batteries and… tea. A satisfyingly full packet of green leaf tea…

Licking my lips soundly, I inhaled the moth-watering essence and gave a sigh in satisfaction.

Now I could finally put that teapot I had found last time to good use.

I walked to the front door and opened it, before I started unloading the goods and bringing them in the house.

The inside of the building could only be described with one word – Luxury. And it was true. Comfortable and neat furniture, shiny bathrooms, a built in sauna, almost anything you could possibly consider entertainment… I could live like a queen… as long as the sun batteries had the energy to power it all.

As I walked along the short path to the front door, the revolvers and the bag of bullets in hands, I glanced at the large water reservoir at the corner of the yard, next to a young lemon tree. If that hadn't been here, I would most probably die within a week from the impossibility to wash myself. I never actually filled the pool, I didn't want to waste the water on something like that, but it was perfect for nice warm baths.

Finally I had it all set. I headed to the front door and carefully slid the thin, yet strong crowbar between the handle and the side of the door. The place used to have an alarm system, but unfortunately, I couldn't get to work no matter how much I tinkered with the electronics. There was also a key for the door somewhere, but even after spending an entire day searching for it, I couldn't manage to find it.

"Maybe I'll meet the owners one day, lying somewhere, and ask them it give it to me" I murmured darkly with a forlorn expression on my face. In the eyes of a third party I probably looked like some sort of a sociopathic weirdo.

'Big deal' I thought and stuck out my tongue at the imaginary third party.

On my way back I stopped in the big hallway and stared at my reflection in the antique-looking mirror.

The months of endless struggle for survival hadn't really had any physical effect on me. I was still myself. Same red eyes, same brownish hair, same face. And yet, it was hard for me to recognize the girl—no, no longer a girl—woman, staring straight at me. I did give out a more mature and experienced vibe. And my face had lost its usual amused smile it always used to have three months ago.

"No reason to smile these days anyway" I grumbled skeptically.

I stepped into the kitchen and took out the metal teapot from the cupboard above the sink. I filled it with water, put in a few small green leaves from the tea packet, and left it to boil. I had a few minutes until it was ready.

In the mean time, I decided to close down the metal plates, which were on the side of every window and door on the first floor. They were part of the house's protection system, and were supposed to move automatically, but the system itself was broken, and I was forced to do it manually. They made it a whole lot easier though, keeping the building safe. Otherwise, I would have to nail wooden bars on every possible place they could get in through.

A painfully familiar blobbing sound reached my ears and my features immediately twisted into the first true smile in weeks. The tea was ready.

My parents always used to joke about my particular liking in tea and they had every right to do it. I could drink tea instead of water any day. It was a little embarrassing, but at least there was no one around to laugh now. Plus, tea calmed me and I really needed to chill out right now. On the inside I was a wreck.

I took a cup and the entire teapot and headed to the second floor. I passed along a lot of expensive-looking paintings along the staircase. I needed to throw out some of them. I mean, who the hell put a picture of weird creatures and demons in their house. The previous owners had probably been very eccentric.

I settled on the big red sofa, next to a small tea table. It was also right next to the glass wall. I could sit comfortably, sip from my tea and watch out for everything, happening outside. And that was exactly what I did. I sat and reached for the music player on my side. 'I should find some new CDs…'

It was almost seven o'clock. The skies were marred by beautiful orange and red colours. The view was nice, I had to admit, at least when you paid no mind to the abandoned houses on the other end of the street.

Staring toward the sunset I took a small sip. Funny how I still made sure to keep my manners.

'Old habits die hard'

That was how all my evenings usually went. A cup of tea, marvelous scenery, soft music… the occasional angry groaning, coming from the street.

Perfect.

(Half an hour later…)

The sun had already disappeared. The sky was still bright enough for me to be able to see clearly what was going on outside.

I could already hear them in the distance. It was getting colder and they'd started coming out. Where they hid during the hot days had always been a mystery to me. I tended to avoid them anyways so I wasn't particularly curious to find out..

I ignored the noises.

That was until their wailing stopped.

I frowned in confusion. They usually kept on through the entire night. The only times they shut up was when they were preoccupied with something… or someone.

"Oh, relax, won't you. They've probably seen a dog or something" I muttered to myself. The words, of course, had the exact opposite effect on me, and I grew even more nervous.

Suddenly, the distant sound of rushed footsteps and screaming reached my hearing. I jumped from my seat immediately, almost knocking the teapot on the ground.

"Those aren't theirs" I all but shouted.

In a rush I opened the door to the wide terrace and stood on the edge of it, trying to pick up where the screaming was coming from.

"HEY!"

My eyes widened.

That scream had sounded so clearly. So… human.

"Hey?" I asked in a daze. That was the first time I'd heard a word coming from someone other than myself in three months.

"PLEASE! OPEN THE DOOR!" The desperate cry came closer than ever.

I furrowed my eyebrows at the darkness of the street, trying to see through it. My heart was beating so fast I had the feeling it might burst. My entire body was shaking. I had never felt like this before…

It was… happiness?

'Can it be?'

And then a running figure stepped into the light, coming from my house, and I could clearly see her.

Tears started pouring from my eyes. A quiet sob escaped my lips.

Was this how a dying person felt like when they saw an angel, a glimpse of hope in the face of certain death?

Was this person… my angel, my hope?

Her pale skin strongly contrasted with her dark hair and tattered clothes. Her right arm was clutched at her chest and appeared to be bleeding. She looked tired, as if she was about to trip and fall flat on her face at any moment, and never stand up again.

When she finally turned her head up, towards me, I stopped breathing.

The most intense green eyes I had ever seen in my entire life were boring straight into mine with a desperate plea for help. At that very moment I promised myself I would never let anything happen to the stranger, whom they belonged to.

Then I heard angry hissing and glanced at the darkness behind her. They were stumbling in the shadows, following suit behind her. Slowly… but surely they were catching up.

A new feeling emerged deep within my chest as my face contorted into one of pure rage.

'No…'

"…I will not allow you to take her" I whispered and ran downstairs as if I was being chased by the devil himself.

I ran to my only hope.

To be continued…

Author's notes: So how was it? Good/bad/crap? Please let me know by leaving a review :)

By the way, I really don't know where I'm going with this fic. I have plans for the next few chapters, but after that – I don't know. Ideas are welcomed if you're interested.

Thanks for reading!