UGH! I HATE MY LIFE! ...anyways, enjoy the second installment! I swear, I don't think things would turn out the way you readers expect it...


Anger

I didn't do it! I was framed! Somebody framed me! Why won't you believe me?!

Lucas trotted after the Black Plague quietly as they passed through their third town that day. Although his legs wobbled and his feet ached, the boy preserved on. He felt his eyelids drooping occasionally as his mind buzzed with only the thought of shadowing the disease. The fear of being left behind kept Lucas awake the whole journey. Very rarely did the unlikely duo stop for rest or food. They kept traveling along with the wind through desolated cities and towns, following the paths to any possible signs of human life. There was very little of that. Human life was, instead, replaced with human corpses. Almost everywhere the child looked, blackened bodies sprawled about, as if a giant hand scattered them carelessly. At times Lucas looked fearfully in a direction where a moaning echoed. The Black Plague would also stop to wait for the kid to get over his frozen state. A knowing smirk always played on the disease's lips whenever this happened. The child's fears almost always amounted to naught.

There was one time when a pile of bodies shifted after the duo passed it. A swollen hand reached out and grabbed Lucas's leg. The boy screamed reflexively, causing the Black Plague to turn around to see the commotion. The woman crawled terrifyingly fast towards Lucas, some of her white skin peeking from underneath her dead black cells. Her mouth had a putrid smell that one would liken to an undead. Her black eyes stared desperately into Lucas's frightened ones.

"H-Help me…" she moaned. His heart beating a million pulses per minute, Lucas had to bite his lip to keep himself from crying out. He clawed desperately at the cement, attempting to inch away from the infected trainer. Weak as she was though, the woman easily overpowered Lucas and continued to pull him towards her while crawling forth. He looked over his shoulder to cry out in pure terror at the woman's gaping mouth. Yet the expected bite did not come. The point of a purple staff sliced through the woman's head, causing her to screech like a banshee. Confusion mixed with fear in the woman's eyes as she couldn't comprehend how she met her end now. Blood spurted from the wound onto the three in its way. Lucas flinched while the Black Plague stood without expression, retracting his staff. The infected gurgled horribly before falling to the side. Lucas felt the strength leaving the woman's hand and scrabbled away. He gulped for air, sweat still trailing down his body from the ordeal. His wide eyes continued to stare at the dead eyes before him. The Black Plague simply wiped the blood away from his mask and staff. Without another word, he back to their original direction. His footsteps snapped the boy out of his trance. He realized that the disease would leave him behind. Lucas gave one last look at the poor woman before shadowing the Black Plague once again.

During their hunt, Lucas curiously observed his companion in order to learn more about him. He noticed that the Black Plague always stayed on the manmade roads. The disease never seemed to want to touch anything unless it was manmade. He always avoided walking or touching any plant life. The first time Lucas stepped off their path to examine a flower, the disease warned him that he was going to leave him. That spurred the child to return to his former position trailing the Black Plague. He had looked at the disease curiously, but the bird-like mask always shielded the Black Plague's emotions.

Lucas also saw how the disease never needed food nor water. He always kept going, never stopping for rest. The poor child struggled to keep up with the Black Plague. Yet he was but ten years old. At times, he collapsed, causing the Black Plague to scowl and mutter dark words under his breath. Hearing the disease's muted words, Lucas attempted to get up so they could continue walking. It seemed as if the Black Plague didn't care at all what happens to the boy. However, Lucas knew.

They never stopped to gather food, but when there was water to be found, the Black Plague always stopped and waited. Lucas took that as a cue to drink as much as he could. The disease seemed to be aware that humans could live weeks without food. Yet without any water, they perished easily. The winged being made sure to find enough to hydrate the young boy. When Lucas offered some, the Black Plague turned away, growling for him to hurry up.

The duo usually traveled in silence. The Black Plague seemed to hate unnecessary chitchat. It was fine for the shy boy. However the lack of human sounds chilled his bone. It reminded him how alone he was, how alone they were. There would be the occasional twitter of the birds and rustle of the grass. Yet the moment the duo drew near, the sounds disappeared. Only the wind howled a greeting. Lucas felt like the world shunned them, fearful of their actions.

It had been five days since the Black Plague gave his consent for Lucas to trail him. In those five days, Lucas had had nothing to eat. The boy's stomach growled loudly. He covered it, as if he could mask the sound that way. Yet his stomach continued to protest its hunger. Lucas could sense the Black Plague's annoyance emitting from every fiber of the disease's body. Lucas mentally pleaded with his body to listen to him. It wouldn't do such a thing, and roared.

"Can't you keep quiet?" the Black Plague turned and glared at the boy. Lucas flinched at the disease's harsh tone. He looked towards his feet in shame.

"I'm sorry…" he muttered. The Black Plague scowled. He knew that the child's apology would do little to stop his irritating stomach. Truth to be told, the disease was getting a bit hungry himself. His last meal was two days ago, when that pale woman finally succumbed to the plague. Yet the towns they went through held little food for him. He could take to the forests, but the Black Plague would rather not. He already did enough to the humans.

He looked around them. The ruined town mirrored the other places they've been as buildings rotted and collapsed on themselves. The Black Plague continued to search until he found a respectable house still clinging to its last twines of life. He moved towards it, hearing the pitter-patter of the boy's feet after him. The disease stood near the door and pointed inside. Lucas looked inside curiously. "Stay here. I'll be back," the Black Plague ordered. The boy turned to the disease nervously. Anxiety was clear in his eyes.

"You're…not going to leave me, are you?" he asked. There was no accusing tone in his voice, only heartfelt fear and concern.

The Black Plague scowled again, "Do you think I'll wait five days hearing your stupid stomach to leave you? I'm going to get you some food so you wouldn't complain so loudly with that bag of yours!" Without reacting to the child's start of surprise, the disease stormed away. Lucas watched as the Black Plague suddenly disappeared from his sight. He gave a strangled cry but quickly stopped himself from running after the winged being. No, if the Black Plague said he was going to come back, then the boy had to believe him. What the disease retorted made sense; why would he abandon the boy now after five days of travel with him? Lucas decided to trust him. The boy slowly walked into the abandoned home.

He blinked multiple times to get his bearings. He saw the dining table overturned with its chairs spewed about. The TV was smashed on its side and random objects scattered across the floor. Lucas flinched when he noticed the dashes of blood covering a few furniture. He looked around fearfully for any signs of dead, black bodies. To his relief, there were none. Perhaps this was the reason that the Black Plague chose this house in the first place. Lucas knew for a fact that it was close to impossible to travel outside without coming into contact with one of the dead infected. Even flies avoided the corpses.

Just thinking about being infected brought shivers down the boy's spine. He couldn't imagine having your skin turn black, showing signs of its death. Some unlucky people's bodies swelled like balloons, further distorting their appearance. Lucas wondered again whether his decision to follow after the very source of his planet's destruction was right. As soon as he thought that, he dismissed it. Of course it was right, even if it put him in the highest chance of being seriously infected. Again, Lucas inquired the Black Plague's decision to spare him. He wasn't anything special. If anything, the Black Plague should have spared his mother and brother. They were the ones who deserved to live, not him.

Tears streamed down his cheeks when Lucas thought about his family. Although he wasn't the one who killed them, he might as well had. He could still see their blackened eyes and skin as they moaned for help. The sound of gunfire was still clear in his mind, the blood splattering everywhere. Lucas had to cover his mouth to keep from screaming in his hiding spot. He could only watch as his family's killers examined them for any signs of life.

That was when he saw the Black Plague standing behind the man and two women. Lucas saw the Black Plague grin as he pulled the trigger of his staff. The man and women barely reacted from the three bullets that sank into their skins. Hours later, Lucas covered his ears to the screams of the victims.

He quickly shook his head, trying to drive away those horrible memories. He didn't want to recall those anymore. The fatigue began to take him as his eyelids drooped. Lucas moved towards the couch, uncaring of the bloodstains. Figuring that the Black Plague won't be back soon, the boy decided to take some more needed rest. The moment he lay on the couch he drifted to a dead sleep.

Lucas wasn't sure how long he was asleep for, but when he woke up again, the Black Plague was sitting on one of the dining chairs. "Looks like Sleeping Beauty's awake," the disease smirked. Lucas sat up groggily. He wished that he could plop back down to sleep a bit more. Yet with the Black Plague before him, Lucas was quite sure that that wasn't an option. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he looked at the winged being. The Black Plague then gestured to the table that he must have righted. "Something for you," he muttered. Lucas looked and saw a plate of what looked like some meat with a pile of herbs. The boy started slightly in surprise at the food. He looked at the Black Plague uncertainly. Sensing the boy's hesitation, the disease growled, "It's not human meat, if that's what you think. I managed to catch a vole and gathered those plants from the forest. It should be safe to eat."

The boy still hesitated. The Black Plague scowled at that. He waved an uncaring hand, spinning away, "I don't care if you eat it or not. But it'll just go to waste…" He blinked in shock as a small hand crept towards the herbs. Lucas grabbed them and shoved them in his mouth, remembering at the last second to chew them. Swallowing the plants, he turned to the meat. Though he hesitated a bit, he steeled his resolve and grabbed the piece. Ignoring the weird sensation, Lucas bit into it. His eyes widened in surprise at its deliciousness. The Black Plague watched as his companion quickly finished off the vole. Lucas paused, feeling the food restoring some of his energy. It wasn't enough to cure the boy of his emaciated structure, but it was enough to stop his stomach from growling. He looked at the disease shyly.

"Thank you for the food," he murmured. The Black Plague blinked before turning away.

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't get used to it," now that he had the boy's gratitude, the disease felt kind of bad for experimenting on the kid. Truthfully, he had infected the vole and plants before preparing them. There was no way around it. However from what he had observed of Lucas, the kid should have been fine eating the food. Seeing firsthand that the child was still standing with his skin still pale, the Black Plague knew that somehow Lucas was resistant to him. Wouldn't other survivors love to get their hands on the kid to find the cure to fight him? The Black Plague knew he would have to hide the child from others lest they discover his special genes. He looked out of the creaking windows. The sun was close to setting with enough light to hunt. The disease headed outside again, ignoring Lucas's start.

"Stay here," the Black Plague pointed to the couch. "You'll need more food to walk tomorrow. I'll be back." Without sparing Lucas another glance, the disease left the house as silently as he came. The boy stayed in his spot for a moment before turning to find a sink to wash his hands, and possibly himself. Strangely enough the pipes still ran in the house, and Lucas was able to clean himself up. Despite how the occupants of the house ran off and left their belongings behind, the boy had no wish to go through their stuff. As a result he wore only the clothes on his back. He went back to the living room where the couch was. Lucas knew that it was best to continue to conserve his energy as this may be the only time the Black Plague was so graciously letting him take his time. He lay on the couch once again before closing his eyes to sleep.

The sun had already set by the time the winged disease returned. The Black Plague held the rabbit by its ears along with a few stalks of edible plants he had gathered in the forest. He cursed the kid repeatedly under his breath. When he started his pandemic, he had vowed to himself he wouldn't touch any of nature's bearings unless they bothered him. Now this kid was forcing him to actually go and hunt for some food. He wasn't sure why he broke his vow to himself to care for a child that annoyed him to no end, but he did.

Truthfully, though, he knew that he couldn't blame Lucas. It was his choice and his choice alone. He didn't have to go out his way to get the kid some food, but he still did. Besides after all that traveling, the boy deserved some well-needed rest and food. He was only a ten-year-old human after all, and not some horrifying illness like the winged being. The boy never complained once and always followed the disease quietly and respectfully. The least the disease could do was take minimal care of him. Even if it meant breaking his vow…The Black Plague shook his head from those thoughts, refusing to think about it anymore. He exited the forest boundaries and stepped onto human territory. His shoulders relaxed once he felt the manmade road underneath his feet. The disease headed towards the house Lucas stayed in. The decaying door creaked loudly, causing the Black Plague to grimace. For some reason, he didn't like the way the door sounded. Possibly because nobody looked after it anymore.

The Black Plague veered towards the kitchen to place his findings on the counter. A strange feeling came over him. He wasn't sure what it was, but he didn't like it. He learned before that trusting his instincts was a good idea. The disease walked into the living room, fully expecting Lucas to be sleeping again on the couch. His heart leapt in his throat when he saw the empty couch. His mind raced with possibilities. Perhaps the kid had went into one of the rooms to sleep on a proper bed. The Black Plague dashed into the four individual rooms. Although messy with the former occupants' belongings, there were no signs of the blonde boy. The disease skid back into the dining room with a strange hope that Lucas might have returned. Still no sign. He inhaled deeply when he thought about the kid running away. The Black Plague dismissed it almost immediately. Lucas had followed his orders before. He wouldn't dare disobey them now.

That only left one explanation. Somebody must have taken him. The Black Plague felt his heart sink at the thought that somebody could have possibly known about Lucas's resistance to him and stole him in order to find the cure. The disease tightened his fist at the idea of the boy being experimented on for the sake of a vaccine against him. He couldn't let that happen. If he did, he would cease to exist. He would die if there wasn't anyone to infect.

The Black Plague walked to Lucas's couch. He touched the area softly and closed his eyes. He stayed in that position for a few minutes before standing up abruptly. Leaving the ruined house behind him, the Black Plague raced out the door and into the forest opposite of the woods where he gathered his food. Despite the lack of light, he stayed true to his course, expertly dodging any obstacle that got in his way. As he leapt over logs and ducked under branches, his stomach growled loudly. The Black Plague couldn't resist a small smirk. He promised himself that he would feast tonight on the flesh of those who stole Lucas. In the back of his head, he attempted to convince himself that he was doing this for himself, not the kid.

Lucas blearily woke up, only to have the light of a raging fire in his eyes. The unfamiliar sight caused the young boy to look around frighteningly. As he did, he noticed that something held him back, something rough and sturdy. Lucas recognized the feel of rope tying him to a tree. The three men looked up when the boy gave a strangled cry.

"Well, well, well…looks like he's awake," Lucas turned to the rough-looking man. He flicked away his burning cigar and crushed it underneath his boot. "Had a nice nap, kid?" Lucas sealed his lips, not trusting himself to say anything. He worried about what the Black Plague would do when the disease found out that Lucas was gone. He hoped that he wouldn't infect him. The man glowered when Lucas didn't respond. He slapped the boy's cheek, earning a cry of pain. "I asked you if you had a nice nap! Where has your respect for your elders gone?"

"Be careful with our dinner, Snake," a bird-like man scowled. "I don't want soiled meat."

"Aw, a little slap ain't gonna kill him, Falco," Snake sneered. "He's a big boy; he could take it."

"Wa-ha-ha! If anything, Snake's tenderizing him for us!" the fat, Italian man laughed. At their words, realization hit the boy like a ton of bricks. He couldn't stop trembling at the sudden thought. Falco noticed and looked at the boy with a hint of regret.

"Yeah, sorry, kid. But if we want to survive, we got to eat."

"W-what a-about the a-animals?" Lucas asked in a shaky voice.

"They're infected too. Don't you know anything, kid?" the Italian man sneered. "You so much as touch a Black Plague victim, and your skin would-a turn black all over." Upon hearing his words, Lucas's trembling got even worse. If what he said was true then that would mean that Lucas was infected as well. He remembered how that woman gripped his leg for help, her black eyes still staring into Lucas's scared ones.

"T-that means I'm already i-infected too!" Lucas protested. "One of them t-touched me!"

Snake looked him up and down before grinning crazily at him, "You're lying, kid. I don't see any black on you. I know what you're doing." He waggled a finger in front of Lucas, "You're trying to make us not eat you. But too bad! It's a dog-eat-dog world now!"

"B-but we're not d-dogs!"

"It's just a saying!" Snake screamed. "That's it! I can't take it anymore! I have to eat right now, even if the kid's raw!" He flicked his wrist, his fingers gripping something tightly. Lucas flinched at the sight of the flashing gleam of the knife the man held. He could only whimper in fear as he cowered futilely. Lucas never thought he would leave like this. It seemed as if the aftermaths of the Black Plague were even worse than the disease itself. It very much turned three possibly-respectable men into savage cannibals. Lucas cried slightly when Snake sliced through his bounds. A grubby hand shot out and grabbed the boy's wrist tightly. The man pulled the struggling Lucas towards him. In contrast to the woman's pleading eyes, Snake's eyes reflected nothing but madness and hunger. He raised his hand, ready to slash Lucas's throat. None of his companions' words got through to him. An animalistic growl tore from his throat as he ate Lucas with his eyes. The boy could only stare in horror, his mouth opening for only a small whimper.

"Snake! Snake, look out!" Falco shouted. The shattered man looked over to his old friend in confusion. As he turned, he felt something dig into his forehead. It didn't hurt, but it irritated him. Snake swiped at it. To his surprise, he couldn't feel a thing. It was almost as if the poking thing had disappeared. He heard strangled cries from his friends. He glared at them, still holding onto Lucas.

"What?! What are you talking about?!" he shouted angrily. His heart suddenly skipped a beat. Sweat trailed down his neck as he stared at his arms. Though pale one moment, his skin began to rot black, as if multiple ants crawled at a frighteningly fast pace. Snake screamed from the realization that he had just been infected. He let go of Lucas, causing the boy to scoot away in terror. The man continued to scream his pains to the moon. His friends watched in horror as Snake's arms swelled and his legs blackened, transfixed by the ghastly transformation. Lucas took advantage of their shocked state to crawl further away, yet he couldn't tear his eyes away from Snake. He didn't look where he was going, and something stopped his escape. Lucas froze, wondering what could be behind him.

After a few moments, he finally mustered up the courage to slowly turn around. A bird-like mask with a mouth dripping with drool greeted him. Despite his fear, Lucas couldn't help but cry out, "The Black Plague!" Both Falco and Wario looked at the cloaked figure in horror. Something snapped in them, and Wario scurried to his feet.

"Let'sa get out of here!" he screamed as he ran off in one direction. Falco split from his friend, sprinting in the other direction. The Black Plague's mouth curved into a smirk. Despite the cruel smile, the boy could sense every fiber of the disease's body emitting black, hot anger. Ignoring Lucas, he walked to where Snake spazzed on the ground. The closer he got, the more energy he could feel rejuvenating him. Perhaps these three numbskulls kidnapping Lucas wasn't so bad after all. The man crawled slowly towards the fire. The familiar moaning of "help me" could be heard. Without any hesitation, the Black Plague brought his staff down, slashing through Snake's head. Lucas turned away, failing to block the man's screams from his mind. When it ended, the boy fearfully looked up. He saw the Black Plague licking his fingers, as if to taste something. He blinked in confusion at something that caught his eyes. Although the Black Plague continued to lick at his fingers, for some reason it remained black. Lucas thought back to when he saw the disease's hand and realized that his fingers before were pale, free of black.

"Lucas." The boy jumped on hearing his name spoken, his thoughts fleeing. "I want you to stay here. Don't go anywhere," the Black Plague walked off into the direction of the Italian man. Lucas held out a hand to stop the disease, but he already disappeared between the dark trees. The boy found himself left alone once again. Although Lucas wished desperately to go after the Black Plague, his submissive side told him to obey the disease's orders. Hope fought submission and submission won. Hugging himself, Lucas sat down on a nearby log to wait for his companion's return.

Falco sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him. His heavy breathing mixed with the bewildering cries of the forest around him. Although every part looked the same to him, Falco refused to turn around. His very life depended on him getting away from the crazy, winged creature he saw behind the boy. What was that thing?! He couldn't believe it just went and shot Snake like that. Then Snake just suddenly got infected with the disease. Was it the bullet that caused the illness to spread? He remembered how the kid called it the Black Plague. Was that what ruined their whole planet? Their whole earth?

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" Falco kept muttering to himself. One thing was certain. He had to get outta here. He had to get as far away as possible from that thing. Surviving was the only thing on his mind. Falco leapt over a branch just in time before it managed to trip him. As he landed, he heard a horrific scream that echoed through the forest. The bird-like man looked behind him in horror when he recognized that to be Wario's screams. That must have meant that the Black Plague got him. Driving the sounds from his mind, Falco picked up the pace. He refused to think how tired and aching he was. He knew that if he stopped to rest for even one second, the Black Plague could be upon him. The wind picked up, seemingly helping the escapee dash away from his murderer. Falco ignored the tree branches slapping his face, his vision blurring slightly with reflex tears. He just had to survive. He just had to. After all those weeks hiding from the mangling diseases, Falco just had to survive.

He never realized how his body began to shut down. The Black Plague took one aim and shot Falco right through the back of his head. He waited patiently until the man's body fell from exhaustion and infection. The disease kept his wings close to stop the wind from carrying him further. He walked over to the fallen man. Falco's head turned in the Black Plague's general direction. However, despite being able to see him before, the man couldn't make out the dreaded black wings. He stared into darkness, wondering how he fell. Raising his staff high, the Black Plague stabbed Falco's head.

Lucas looked up when he heard the leaves crunch underfoot. He jumped off his log to run towards the figure emerging from the cover of the trees. The Black Plague barely made it into the clearing when the kid tackled him down. His scowl disappeared when he felt small arms wrap around his body. The Black Plague sat up, feeling Lucas bury his face into his cloak. The boy's shoulders trembled as his sobs were muffled by the cloak. The disease honestly had no idea why the boy was reacting this way nor did he know how to calm him down. Remembering his past, the Black Plague opted for something that always managed to calm down his brother.

He patted the kid's back reassuringly. He continued doing that until the sobbing toned down to a couple of sniffles. The Black Plague waited for another moment before gently prying the boy away from him. "Why're you crying?" he asked softly, his usual harsh tone missing. Lucas sniffed loudly, hiccupping from his tears.

"I-I-I'm s-s-sor-r-ry!" the boy managed to hold back his tears. "I-I-I d-d-didn't sta-a-ay like y-y-you told me t-to! I-I almost g-g-got you k-k-killed!"

"What? What are you talking about?" the Black Plague frowned. Seriously, he knew that those three he just infected were only strong enough to kill a single, stupid zombie. Why would the boy even think that they could kill him?

"Y-Your ski-i-in…" Lucas muttered. The boy felt the Black Plague go rigid. He looked at the masked disease, curious as to why just the mere mentioning of the disease skin was enough to freeze him. As if the fire crackled delightfully to thaw the Black Plague from his state, he slowly shook his head.

"I'm fine, Lucas," he muttered. "See?" he held up a hand to prove his point. Lucas glanced at it with wide eyes. He couldn't believe it. The boy clutched the disease's hand in surprise. He turned it this way and that. It was true. There was no signs of black, rotting skin. Just the pale, white that originally got him to stand up. Lucas could feel the tears gathering at the corner of his eyes again, yet he wiped them away to prevent them from falling. His shoulders trembled again at the thought that the disease wasn't going to leave him. Twisting out of the Black Plague's hold, Lucas hugged him again. This time the disease didn't push him away. Carrying the boy in his arms, the Black Plague slowly stood up as to not accidentally drop the boy. He left the men's campsite and headed back towards the house they called home for the day. Although Lucas stopped crying by the time the Black Plague entered the place, he was still awake.

The winged being gently laid Lucas on his couch. The child attempted to sit up, but the disease pushed him down. "Get some rest. We're leaving at dawn."

Lucas hesitated before laying his head on the armrest. Now that the Black Plague mentioned it, the events of the day made the boy more exhausted than he could imagine. He yawned hugely. Before he drifted off to sleep, he remembered one last thing he forgot to do. "Thank you, Black Plague," he murmured shyly.

The Black Plague looked at the child in surprise. He wasn't entirely sure what prompted the boy to thank him, but nevertheless, the disease felt something uplift his heart slightly. Yet at the same time, Lucas's statement bothered him a bit. He wondered what prompted his annoyance before he finally figured it out. The disease turned away from Lucas, "…that's not my name."

Lucas blinked in surprise. "I'm sorry?"

"Call me Black Pit," the Black Plague muttered.

Lucas hesitated for a moment before a small grin crossed his face. "Thank you, Black Pit…"

Black Pit simply huffed at the change of words, "Whatever. Go to sleep already."

"Okay…good night, Black Pit."

"…"


Black Pit, Black Plague...WHAT A CONCIDENCE! NOT!