Here's chapter 2! Sorry it took so long. This chapter is considerably shorter than the last one, but I don't really have the patience to write those long chapters. At any rate, enjoy, and reviews are appreciated! I do not own D. Gray-Man.
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Zombies are created by the resurrection of the dead. Unfortunately, the mind of the deceased has already moved on, and they return only as a mindless animal, yearning to be whole and alive again. To achieve that end, they kill living humans and feast on them. The Millennium Earl, their creator, is using them to destroy the human race as we know it.
Zombie Hunters, who some people call Exorcists, are the sworn enemy of the Earl. They exist to destroy the zombies, sending them back to their peaceful death, and in doing so, strive to save humankind.
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Allen walked down the street, relieved and excited to be so close to the Exorcist headquarters. He took a deep breath and let it out, remembering the trials he had endured to get so far. Zombie Hunters were traditionally trained with little room for mistakes, and his master had been harsher than most. But, since most of his training had been in the field, surviving real-life situations, he had an advantage over the Exorcists trained at Headquarters. He smiled bitterly.
"That's sure a plus for all the things I've gone through," he murmured to himself.
He continued walking, sauntering past a dark alleyway without paying any attention to it. He was so lost in thought that he almost missed seeing the danger. He glanced down the alley out of long-standing habit, seeing a young boy being scolded for some mischief by a group of adults. He almost moved on when his eye began to twitch uncomfortably. He stopped and peered more closely at the group, but felt no more response from his eye. He looked closely at each individual before his eye lurched in its socket at the sight of a scraggly looking homeless man.
As usual, the strange curse that plagued him had not missed its target. Allen could see the man's lightless eyes, could see the tell tale hunger that lurked therein, and was surprised that the zombie had actually restrained itself from feeding when it was so close to its prey.
He was about to charge in to attack, but faltered. The zombie's behavior was exceptionally strange, so perhaps he should just observe and try to determine why it hadn't attacked immediately. He settled back into the shadows to watch.
"I'm telling you, he's really a zombie!" The boy was saying emphatically to his elders.
"John, there's no such thing as zombies," one of them replied in disgust.
"Besides, he looks just like a normal human," another piped in. "He's not rotting away or anything."
"My father's notes said that if a zombie was created soon after death, then they wouldn't be rotting because the corpse was still preserved!" John declared hotly, trying to maintain his point. "His notes said they appear more like the stereotypical vampire instead of the stereotypical zombie."
In his hiding place, Allen snorted derisively. "Vampires are so overrated," he muttered.
"Come on, we're wasting our time here. He's just causing trouble with his stupid pranks," one of the men said, turning away.
They exited the alley with angry mutters, not even glancing back at the boy and the strange man in the alleyway. John stared after them, not realizing the danger he was in. The zombie behind him began to shuffle forward.
As the creature's outstretched hand touched the boy's shoulder, Allen drew out his blade and charged down the alley. With one swift motion he cut the zombie's head off, and it flew through the hair in a graceful arc before landing on the ground, bouncing twice before coming to a complete rest.
"Are you alright?" He quickly asked the boy, who was staring at him in shock. Suddenly the boy tackled Allen, hugging him tightly.
"You're a zombie hunter, aren't you," the boy said excitedly, his tongue tripping over the words in his haste to get them out. "And this is an awesome weapon! Did a zombie cut off your arm or did it infect your hand and you cut it off to prevent from becoming a zombie?"
Allen sighed as the boy's imagination took flight. So it was going to be one of those encounters.
"No, it was nothing like that," he interrupted the boy's rambling. "I was just born with a deformity, that's all." He almost regretted his words as the boy's face fell in disappointment. "You're John, aren't you? How do you know so much about zombies?" He asked finally.
"My dad's a scientist, and I read his research notes," John shrugged indifferently. Then his eyes lit up again. "When I grow up I'm going to invent a great weapon that will destroy all the zombies in the world instantly! It'll be awesome, and the world will never have to worry about a zombie apocalypse again!"
Inwardly, Allen groaned. This was a very imaginative child.
"Listen, John," he said seriously. "The zombies are dangerous. Since you're not full grown yet and have no way of protecting yourself, you need to lay low and not do anything that would attract the Maker's attention. If you do anything to make him perceive you as a threat, he'll eliminate you."
John's face took on an expression of hurt dignity, and he set his jaw in a surly manner. "Well, if a scrawny kid like you is an Exorcist, then I can do what I want, too." With that he raced off down the street.
Allen stared after him. "Imaginative, but determined," he muttered to himself, and turned away. He couldn't let encounters like this distract him from reaching Headquarters. If the boy wanted to chase zombies regardless of the dangers, well then, that was his problem. His steps faltered as he remembered the restraint the zombie earlier had shown in the presence of its prey. They continued to slow as he thought about the encounter more. Finally he stopped altogether. He sighed, knowing he had reached a decision. Headquarters would just have to wait.
"The boy's going to get into trouble if he isn't made to see reason," he predicted. "And I should see if I can figure out what's going on with the zombies." With that, he turned around and headed back in the direction John had gone.