Title: Half-Dead After Dark
Summary: A disease plagues the shinobi world. Creatures that were once human invades. Their only defense... the jinchuriki. Twelve-year-old Naruto doesn't feel ready for any of this but with Konoha Village depending on him... he must.
Disclaimer: Do not own.
Date: 27/08/2013
Words: 650
He couldn't believe any of this was happening. None of this should be happening! The words scream in Sasuke's mind as he runs. He has only graduated from the academy yesterday! He couldn't die. This couldn't be happening. He still had to get revenge on Itachi for murdering his family! He couldn't get murdered himself by whatever these creatures were. What are they!? Why was this even happening!?
They followed him. They weren't as fast but there were plenty of them. Despite their slow speeds, they made up with it in numbers. Large numbers.
There were so many of them.
Too many, Sasuke thinks horrified. He glances to the left and right. They are all there. All coming.
Straight at him.
He realizes that he wants to cry because he is so scared.
They are going to eat him.
Was he going to turn into one of them? The civilians that got bit by them turned. He didn't want to join them! Or even worst, be eaten like food by them! He was no one's food source!
But he was prey and they the predators.
Nightmare, nightmare, nightmare. He wishes he could wake up.
He finds himself trapped. A wall is behind him. He has seen some ninja escaping through wall-walking but he cannot do that yet. He has seen ninja using shunshin to teleport but he has not learned that either.
He has to fight. That is his only option so he tries.
He has to do something.
He breaks off the closest creature's arm with a swift kick and thankfully he was fast enough to avoid when the creature tried to bite him with its head. Horrified, he realizes that the creature is still moving, not phased in the least by the damage he made.
He makes some hand seals as quick as he is able and blows out fire from his mouth. He catches many of the creatures in the fire. Burned, they still rise. They are still coming. Closer.
So he is going to die here, he realizes.
So this is it.
An avenger he thought he would be... but he wasn't able to avenge anything.
He was going to die.
He feels defeated.
Resigned.
He closes his eyes tight, awaiting his fate as the creatures come closer.
Thoughts frantically race through his mind... He didn't want to become one of them. He didn't want to join them. He didn't. He didn't. He didn't.
Suddenly, he hears the creatures shrieking near him. Surprised, he opens his eyes because the creatures are leaving. Slow, but leaving. They ignore him as if he is not there despite the fact that they had chased him for hours. They all disperse to different directions except one.
He doesn't know what's happening, he looks to the source they are fleeing from, the area that they didn't dare to even go near.
Naruto!?
In bright orange with the yellow hair, it is easy to tell when Naruto is in the area.
It really is the dobe.
But why, why would the creatures be running from Naruto?
Sasuke does not know but he feels a huge sense of dread, horror, fear, and gratitude all in one. He is alive. He does not know why the creatures decided to back off but they did.
The fight from him is all gone as he collapses to the ground. He has run and escaped for who knows how long without rest. As his eyes slide shut, he realizes his exhausted and tired body has functioned on willpower alone.
