Editor's notes: Hey everybody! So I'm sorry that I didn't give you an introduction to this story in my first chapter... to be honest, I forgot how... This is only my second fan fiction, so please forgive me. I love reviews, and this story was a brainchild of mine after I had played a few hours of Dead Island and then read some Bleach manga. This may be wierd to some, but the twelfth squad does like to experiment don't they? Well, anyway, happy reading!
Bleach: Zombies
Chapter two:
Outbreak
Sweating slightly from running practically the entire way back to the surface of the research institute, Kohei nearly bumps into third seat Akon as rounds a corner!
Kohei: 'E-excuse me, Third Seat Akon! I-I retrurned with the requested data, sir!'
Akon: 'It's alright, but I'm curious what took you so long to return? You've been gone nearly forty minutes!'
Kohei: 'I'm very sorry, but i-it took me awhile to find what I was looking for.'
The soul reaper with the small spikes on his forehead eyes his subordinate suspiciously and the smaller man shifts his weight under his scrutinizing gaze.
Akon: 'What happened to your sleeve? You didn't touch anything while you were down there, did you?'
Kohei: 'N-no sir! W-why would you ask that? M-my sleeve got caught on something! I didn't do anything except what I was told to do, sir!'
Akon: 'There are things down on level five that could spell the end for soul society if they ever got out. I only sent you down there because I thought you could handle it. If I find out that I was mistaken...'
He trails off as he watches Kohei shake his head emphatically.
Akon: 'Alright... give me the data and my access card back. I'll give the data to Captain Kurotsuchi personally.'
Kohei looks pleadingly at his superior but slowly resigns the data and card over to Akon when he realizes his plea will go unheard.
Akon: 'You can return to your work; because you took so long, I'm going to answer to our captain for you.'
The pale soul reaper hangs his head in defeat, but does what the other man says.
After returning to his work station and resuming his work, Kohei puts the finishing touches on his report and saves the document. He leans back in his chair and wipes the sweat from his forehead. He pulls his hand away from his face and looks at it curiously. Wow it feels like I'm running a fever and I haven't stopped sweating since I returned from level five! I'm done with my work for the day, so I think I'm going to go back to the barracks and lay down for awhile... He gets up and slowly makes his way to his living quarters. Once there, he gets a wash cloth and runs it under some cold water to place it on his forehead after laying down. The coolness of the cloth seems to soothe him a bit and after a few minutes, he falls asleep.
An hour later, he wakes up in a cold sweat and kicks off his now drenched blanket.
Kohei: 'Wh-what's wrong with me...? I-I can hardly... breath and my vision's blurry...'
He rolls out of his futon and doesn't even bother to roll it up as he shuffles weakly to the exit. I... I better go... to squad four to see... if they can help... me. He unsteadily slides his door open and steps out into the late afternoon sun. Through red-tinged vision, he makes his way through the squads; passing several weary soul reapers as he goes.
female soul reaper: 'That guy doesn't look so good...'
male soul reaper: '... I don't want to catch whatever he has; I have my seated officer's exam tomorrow!'
As he passes a few more soul reapers, his head turns under no control of his own! His nostrils flare as he takes in a scent that he shouldn't be able to smell... sooo good... wait! Why do they smell good? I'm hungry... so... hungry... As Kohei crosses into the fifth division, he stumbles into a taller female soul reaper, who he almost knocks over!
female soul reaper: 'Hey! A-are you alright? Do you need me to take you to see Captain Unohana?'
The profusely sweating lavender-haired soul reaper goes limp in her arms. The bridge of his nose is buried in the side of her neck. He inhales. So sweet is her smell! The green-haired reaper shakes the smaller man slightly to get him to respond. His response is completely out of his control and a shock to the assisting female as he lifts his head slightly and sinks his teeth into her flesh! The woman screams out in pain as she kicks him off of her.
female soul reaper: 'Why did you bite me? Are you insane?'
Before she can react further, the small man runs off and disappears behind a building. The soul reaper brings her hand up to her wound and feels her wet life force as it flows slowly out of the teeth-shaped punctures. She quickly makes her way to the fourth squad to get herself healed.
Meanwhile, Kohei - if you can still call him by name - continues to make his way through the fifth squad. He has come across many soul reapers since tasting the green-haired woman's flesh and each one that he's met has come away with the same superficial wounds that she recieved! With each passing minute, his mind becomes increasingly numb to his surroundings. All he has as a driving force is... hunger; and feed he does. As he comes across two more soul reapers, he readily attacks them with his gaping, salivating jaws! They recieve deeper injuries as whatever plagues Kohei takes complete control over his body and mind.
Enjoying a quiet walk down one of the many alleyways that make up the fifth division is a soft spoken female of the fifth squad. She has black hair that she keeps mostly pulled up and hidden beneath a white bonnet. Her kind, brown eyes have a tinge of regret that plays deep within them. Her lieutenant's badge is tied securely around her left bicep, just below her shoulder. This woman's name is Momo Hinamori and she loves her squad. When she hears the yelling and commotion that breaks the silence of her stroll, she immediately steels herself for whatever might be threatening it.
Momo: 'What's happening? Is it a hollow?'
She flash steps to where the noise is coming from and stops just in time to see two of her subordinates being attacked by another soul reaper! She doesn't draw her zanpakuto, but instead flash steps again to get in close to the out of control reaper.
Momo: 'I don't know what's going on, but I know you're not in control of yourself!'
Hinamori ducks under a quick swipe from the deranged pale soul reaper and his nails manage to find the slightest bit of purchase in her cheek as she hits him in the sternum with the palm of her hand!
Momo: 'Hado, number one; Sho!'
A blue energy hits Kohei in the chest and shoves him back with enough force to propell him into the near-by wall, cracking the surface! The sickly looking soul reaper falls to the ground, grumbling inconherently as he begins to stir.
Momo: 'You're tougher than you look, so I won't go easy on you. You're going to have to answer for what you've done to these two!'
The pale reaper, who stands actually shorter than the 4'11" lieutenant, simply nashes his teeth together and growls before attempting to lunge at her again!
Momo: 'Bakudo, number nine; Horin!'
A glowing yellow rope appears out of nowhere and Hinamori uses it like a whip to entangle the out of control lavender-haired man! The reaper's hands and feet are wrapped tightly together by the binding spell that is cast by the expert kido user. With his center of balance taken from him, the out of control reaper falls hard to the ground; hitting his head on the pavement! Even though the man can't possibly break his bonds, he still chomps and squirms uncontrolably!
With the threat to her squad subdued, Momo turns her attention to her two wounded subordinates.
Momo: 'Are you two alright? What happened to this man?'
male soul reaper #1: 'I-I don't know lieutenant! We were just heading to our quarters when this guy came around a corner. He was mumbling and swaying and you can see how bad he looks!'
male soul reaper #2: 'Yeah, we asked him if he needed help and he just started attacking us! Biting and clawing! He's insane!'
Momo: 'Did he hurt either of you?'
The two reapers look at each other before revealing their wounds to their lieutenant.
Momo: 'I see; please take this man to Captain Unohana and get yourselves looked at as well.'
male soul reaper #1: 'Lieutenant Hinamori, shouldn't you come to the fourth squad as well since this man injured you?'
The kind girl moves her hand up to the side of her face that was scratched by her opponent.
Momo: 'Because of this? No, I know enough about healing kido to heal this minor scratch.'
To demonstrate this, a greenish glow engulfs her hand and the minor cut soon disappears!
soul reaper #2: 'That's why you're our lieutenant!'
The two soul reapers bow and pick up the now restrained mad man; making sure to keep well away from his still chomping jaws!
Momo watches her fellow squad members as they turn a corner before she sighs. What is going on here? She can not possibly hope to answer her own question as of yet, so she flash steps away to see her old and dear friend, Toshiro Hitsugaya.
...
Chapter two comes to a close! Do you see? Do you see how things can get out of hand? Well, we'll just have to see what Momo's up to in the next chapter :)