The Dying War (Day 1)
Rukia turned a sharp corner as rogue city noise echoed behind her. Another workday had gone by and her last obstacle was getting home safely. Flipping her dark hoodie up anxiously, she quickened her pace just enough to not be noticed. The shadows from the torn-down infrastructure gave her a particularly ominous feeling that night.
Spotting her building complex, a gray block with uniform rows of shuttered windows, she slowed to a halt and cursed her luck.
She squinted at the commotion just in front of the building's entrance. A crowd was starting to build up, which meant nothing good. Either someone had jumped from the upper floors or someone got jumped. Rukia wasn't fond of dealing with either one.
"Let's get this over with," she murmured and pressed her shoulder to the wall in an attempt to bypass the growing group of people. With catlike curiosity she twisted her head and immediately deducted that whoever that person used to be – they had definitely jumped from one of the top floors. Body parts did not end up splat on cement like that had if it wasn't from a substantial height. She just hoped it wasn't from her floor and the police didn't come and investigate too much.
With surprising little effort, she made it into the elevator.
"I'm home!" Rukia announced, flicking on the light in the one-bedroom apartment. It wasn't quite as bad as some of their neighbors', but it definitely wasn't fit for the average person. Dropping her things, she waited for Hisana to emerge. When she didn't, Rukia sighed, "I got paid today and was thinking that we could save something up."
Met with silence again, Rukia frowned and open the bedroom door.
The television was on. In full volume, a newscaster was seemed to be giving instructions for something.
She paused for a second, trying to figure out what the lady was reporting before she heard soft breathing come from the bed, "Hisana, are you okay?"
"Rukia?" Hisana's meek response was almost inaudible.
Pulling the covers back a bit, she placed a palm on her forehead.
"You're not hot."
Then she saw it.
Rivaling something from a nightmare, Hisana's eyes were bloodshot and one of her uncovered arm, which came up to grip Rukia, were also covered with visible purplish veins. Rukia reflexively flinched away.
"Rukia..." Hisana hissed in apparent pain and Rukia had half a mind to comfort her, but everything felt like lead. Her vision became tunneled and her hearing seemed to come from underwater.
" ...an epidemic, which scientists have dubbed 'The Dying Disease" is estimated to affect millions and shows no symptoms in its early stages. Research for a treatment has begun. What we do know is that right before death some disturbing signs are red irritated eyes, deterioration of nerves..."
Rukia turned to the television and watched numbly at pictures of the disease flicker on one by one.