It was a tight squeeze in the milky white Land Rover they had purloined not far from the warehouse, but Rukia had been small enough to sit in the boot section which had turned out to be helpful, and luckily Szayel was lithe enough to also fit in the boot; Aizen was driving and Byakuya was in the front seat next to him, while Ulquiorra; Grimmjow and Renji were in the back, squashed but not complaining.
As they drove down the deserted; bloodstained streets, they had to avoid crashing into the wrecked or upturned vehicles which littered the way, abandoned in haste by the first of the victims of the Infected, or dragged forcibly when captured.
Lampposts had been ripped from the ground, electricity cables dangled from buildings and across the roads; newspapers and carrier bags; school bags and clothing; dry blood and broken personal effects scattered in the haste of the ones escaping.
But there were no corpses. Not anymore, they had reanimated when the virus had set in, they were somewhere else now. Whether or not they were still in the city, or if they had moved off in the pursuit of fresh flesh was uncertain, there would be no way to be certain until they ran into a horde of them where they least expected to. But until they were certain, they would be careful and diligent.
"Where is our first stop?" Renji asked as he peered out of the window beside him for signs of life or undead.
"Weapon store." Byakuya replied, "We need to restock in bulk."
"And then we need to hit a general store, our food supplies are running low." Rukia added.
"We'll hit th weapon store first, that way if we encounter any of the Infected we will be in a strong position to fight them off. And then we will head to the supermarket afterwards." Aizen murmured, his eyes trained on the road.
"What city are we in?" Rukia asked as she caught sight of several newspapers as they passed them.
"London." Grimmjow told her, "Over there is Kensington Palace, that direction is the London Eye, Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament, to name a few attractions."
"You know the area well?"
"Szayel and I lived here before the Infection outbreak." He said stated, looking out of the window again; ignoring Szayel's glance in his direction.
Minutes later, Aizen brought them to a stop outside of the armoury shop and switched the engine off; he exited the car and looked around carefully for any sign of the Infected, and when he saw none he waved the others out of the car. Renji and Byakuya remained by the entrance to the store, and Szayel remained in the car, while Aizen too Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and Rukia inside; they were tensed and searched the building thoroughly for Infected but again found it completely deserted save for the smears of blood and guts which had been painted on the walls and counters.
"Rukia, get the bags from the car, we have our cargo."Aizen ordered as he checked the counters of various weaponry, "Grimmjow, collect ammunition for the weapons we already have; Ulquiorra, stack any new weaponry with sufficient ammo ready for packing."
"Yes, sir." The two men responded in unison before they went about their task.
The brunet put his shotgun back in the holster on his back as he finally relaxed as much as one could in the midst of an apocalypse. He looked around the store in more detail, pausing as he passed a case on the wall full of differing kinds of blades. One manicured eyebrow rose in response and he cracked the case open, pulling out a samurai katana, it had a dark green wrapped hilt and a dark sheathe. He appraised the sword for a long moment before he slung it over his back beside his shotgun and grabbed a couple of daggers from the case as well.
He turned around and watched as the group in his care began loading up their duffle bags with ammunition; he smiled slightly as he saw Szayel had left the safety of the car in order to assist in packing new weapons. They loaded enough to last them for a good while, and lumbered the bags back to the car when they had sucked the store dry.
"Alright, next stop the supermarket." Aizen announced as he got back into the driver's seat.
"Any chance of getting a bigger car on the way?" Szayel asked as he squished himself against the bags in an awkward but artistic position.
"If we find one we'll see if it works." The brunet replied with a nod before he started the engine and pulled away.
Grimmjow rested his forehead against the glass of the window and closed his eyes, feeling the slow pulse of infection around his body. He was a stubborn bastard and he would never surrender to the virus while there was still breath in his body. But it ached. His muscles and his bones ached with the weight of the virus. He could see why people might give up when suffering such a constant ache, but he wasn't most people. He wouldn't allow himself to give up, not after last time.
He sprinted across the rooftop of the hospital; by his side were his partner of six years, Ilford Granz and his younger brother Szayel Aporro Granz, racing for their lives.
Just one hour previously they had been sat in the hospital casualty area, courtesy of Szayel having an accident in the kitchen of the apartment they shared, the cut wasn't even deep but he had insisted on being a pain and getting it checked by the 'professionals' despite the fact he had a medical degree himself.
Then, a patient had been wheeled in by paramedics, strapped to the bed. It was an elderly man reported to be suffering with a coronary artery blockage; his heart had stopped in the ambulance and they were continually doing CPR on the bloke.
Grimmjow watched with disinterest as they wheeled the man into one of the side bays, intensive care, to be treated there. The bay had huge glass windows and thin blinds that could be seen through really easily; he could see several nurses and doctors rushing around to try and save the man's life. But he was pretty sure that the old timer was already dead, he looked it. His skin was mottled and grey, his lips purple-blue and his limbs were limp at his sides. Yeah, he was dead.
The blue haired male sighed and rested an arm on the back of the chairs and rolled his shoulders as he looked at Ilford and offered him a grin which was returned by the blond along with a slight blush. Man he loved Ilford's reactions to the simple things, even after six years together he still acted like it was only the first weeks, with shy touches and blushes roused from only a small look. It just made him all the more loveable. He then got up to grab himself a drink, his throat dry from the awful air-conditioning the hospital had in place.
Popping a two pound coin into the machine, he tapped a finger to his lips and tried to decide what drink to have. He looked up as Ilford appeared at his side, with an arm around his middle.
"You want a drink too?" he asked.
"Nah, thought I'd come see if you needed help picking on for yourself. You're like a child in a candy store when presented with choices." He blond smirked and winked at him coyly.
"Gee thanks, Ilford." He rolled his eyes and looked the drinks over once more before pressing the buttons and receiving a bottle of lemonade in return.
"Ooh nice choice."
The bluenette rolled his eyes again and handed his partner the bottle, watching as he cracked it open and took several sips before handing it back. Grimmjow knew him too well.
They returned to their seats and Grimmjow shrugged on his dark blue leather jacket, feeling the cold from the air conditioning. He hated the cold. Knowing this, Ilford snuggled up to him once he had sat back down and he smiled, slinging an arm around him in return and kissing the top of his head. He didn't care what the other waiting patients thought of them, this was where he was happy. With Ilford.
"Ugh, get a room Brother." Szayel whined from Grimmjow's other side, pouting slightly at the looks of affection passing between the two men.
"Don't get jealous Szayel." Grimmjow chortled and smiled at his partner's younger brother, he was a genius of scientific discovery recently back from a project in Cardiff. He had been different since his return, stressed almost, and he had returned eight months before the end of the project but refused to say why.
They fell into a comfortable silence.
A scream shattered the silence, and shattered their world; a bloodcurdling scream.
Grimmjow's head snapped up and he looked at the bay into which the man had been wheeled into five minutes before he his cobalt eyes went wide in horror as he saw blood splattering against the glass, "What's going on?!" He exclaimed, getting to his feet, along with twenty others who had been waiting.
Screams emanated from the room and through the haze of blood, Grimmjow just about made out the elderly man who was on his feet in the room. There was blood pouring from his mouth, fresh blood, his eyes were frenzied, and his face contorted in pain or... Or something else.
They watched as the elderly man continued attacking the doctors and nurses in the room, in a turbulent state of madness. Security guards rushed into the room to restrain him and the people in the waiting room watched in dismay as he was eventually shot in the chest by one of the guards.
"Oh my god..." Grimmjow breathed, "What was that?!"
"I've no idea... He was... Crazed!" Ilford responded.
"He was also very dead." Szayel breathed.
"What?" the other two asked at the same time.
The pink haired man didn't answer but instead slowly moved towards the intensive care bay, his legs were laboured and paced, his muscles lax. He stopped suddenly, the squeak of his shoe echoed around the near silent room, everyone was still too shocked by the display to speak.
Grimmjow and Ilford followed him and stopped beside him, "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Look." Szayel raised a hand and pointed to the corpse of the man who had been shot. His fingers were twitching.
With no warning, he was on his feet again and fell upon the security guards like a plague. At the same time, the doctors and nurses began to reawaken, their skin pale and clammy, and their eyes a startling shade of gold and their mouths open with hunger.
It was a massacre.
It didn't take long before they burst out of the bay and began to attack everyone and anyone in their path; without hesitation, Grimmjow grabbed Szayel and Ilford, and dragged them out of the path of the onslaught. They shot away from the scene, running up the stairs two or three at a time, their breathing coming in short sharp pants as they exerted themselves.
"What's happening?!" Ilford cried as they reached the second floor.
"It's pretty obvious what's happening!" Grimmjow exclaimed, "What we don't know is why it is happening!"
"But... The dead do not come back to life! That's the stuff of stories and Hollywood!" the blond protested leaning against the wall and running his hands down his face.
The blue haired male sighed and walked over, putting his arms around him, "Look, at the moment all we can do is keep running; we need to find somewhere safe and alert the authorities... But no matter what we do, the important thing is that we all stay together. Alright?" he said softly, brushing his locks of blond hair away from his face.
"Alright... You're right... You're right..." he replied, taking a calming breath before he looked around, "Where should we head to?"
"Wherever it is we need to go now... I can hear them on the level below!" Szayel half squealed.
"Let's go up another floor, see if we can find an office with a phone or something!" Grimmjow decided.
Shrieks and cries followed them wherever they ran as floor by floor the hospital was taken, they found several offices but the signal was down on the phones and they couldn't find any way of alerting the police.
Chased to the very top floor, the three threw open the doors onto the roof and slammed them shut behind them.
"Now what do we do?! We're trapped up here!" Szayel yelled.
"Calm down!" Grimmjow snapped, "Panicking isn't going to help us at all!"
"How can you be so calm?! We're all going to die up here!" he half screeched.
The blue hair male ignored him and strode towards the edge of the building and peered down, his face fell as he saw several crashed ambulances around the A&E entrance, along with blood splashes and discarded papers and brief cases. These... Undead had broken out of the hospital and were spreading on the streets.
On the plus side he couldn't actually see any of them down there. This meant they were already spreading throughout the city or they were behind them at the doors onto the roof.
He looked around at the various cables and wires which powered the hospital and connected the internet and telephones and his eyes narrowed as an idea formed in his head.
Grimmjow gestured for the other two to help him as he began yanking at one of the cables, trying to rip it free of its position. With two more pairs of hands they were able to rip it up and he then tied one end of the cable to a pillar.
"What are you planning?" Ilford asked.
"We can use this cable and swing down to the ground before grabbing one of those cars and getting the hell out of here." He replied quickly as he heard the thumping on the doors of the undead.
"What?! Are you mad?!"
"Sometimes. Carry on tying that. I'll go secure the door."
He ran back to the double doors and saw that they were beginning to dent under the pressure; he quickly moved several crates in front of it and looked around as he was joined by Ilford, "It's not going to hold for long." He told the blond before they shared a nod and began running back towards Szayel.
They reached halfway before Ilford fell and hit the ground; Grimmjow skidded to a stop and ran back to get him, but he screamed "RUN!"
"Ilford..." the blue haired male stared as he watched the blond get back to his feet, the undead not far behind him, "ILFORD DON'T YOU DARE!"
"Get Szayel out of here. Get yourself out of here! Don't die Grimmjow! Don't you dare die!"
He could see tears in the blonds' eyes as he turned and ran at the undead, grabbing broken pole from where they had previously ripped up the cable; he charged them and began striking out with with pole, knocking several over and stabbing a few of them.
"ILFORD!" he screamed as the blond was hidden from sight by the horde.
His heart thumped painfully against the inside of his chest but he swallowed his emotion back and turned, sprinting towards Szayel who had successfully attached himself to the end of the cable. Without stopping and grabbed hold of the pink haired man and threw them both off the roof, yelling as they swung down towards the ground, their speed slowed only minorly by the friction of the cable against the side of the building.
They hit the ground hard, Grimmjow groaned as he felt his shoulder crunch but ignored it; he helped untangle Szayel from the cable before they ran for the nearest car, a Jaguar. Lucky for them both the keys were still in the ignition and with the slamming of two car doors, Grimmjow put his foot on the gas and they shot from the car park like a thing possessed.
"B-Brother..." Szayel whispered as he looked up at the rooftop.
"He died bravely Szayel." He breathed his voice breaking.
"But he won't stay dead..."
"No... No he won't," Grimmjow blinked away his tears and remained focused on the road, which was scarily deserted, "But what he comes back as... That won't be Ilford anymore... That will be..."
"A zombie. I'm not a child Grimmjow, I understand."
"I know you do... Sorry."
They fell quiet, mourning in their own ways as they sped away, soon discovering what the extent of the outbreak of undead was. Police officers were fighting a growing army and loosing, buildings were being picked clean of the living, cars were being abandoned, food and books and bags scattered across the road in the haste of people fleeing.
"I let him down." Grimmjow whispered.
"What?"
"Ilford... I let him down... There must have been another way... If I hadn't gone to secure the door or... Or if we hadn't run to the roof... Whatever option... I let him down..."
Szayel looked at him and slapped him around the face, "Shut up. My brother chose to stay and buy us time, he is... He was as stubborn as you are so it isn't like you could have made him change his mind. Get over yourself."
Grimmjow sighed but chuckled in spite of himself, "Yeah... I guess you are right..."
"Of course I am. I am a genius. You are an idiot."
"Yeah thanks for that Szayel. If you are so smart then tell me, where should we go now?"
"A gas station."
"Huh?"
"Look at the metre."
"SHIT!"
Grimmjow opened his eyes slowly and lifted his head off the window, looking around and seeing that the others were in conversation over food supplies. It seemed that they had raided the supermarket while he had been asleep.
"Oh look sleeping beauty has woken up!" Szayel cackled from the back.
"Leave him alone he looks shattered." Renji chided.
"Ugh, I feel like shit..." Grimmjow murmured.
"Um... Grimmjow... You don't look so good." Rukia said quietly.
The car fell silent and all eyes turned to him; he caught sight of himself in the rear-view mirror and saw that his skin was slightly paler and he had dark circles under his eyes which hadn't been there before.
"It's the virus..." Szayel announced, "He is still a long way from being fully Infected but it is starting to take its toll. Grimmjow, have you been experiencing any aching sensations?"
"Yeah, in my arms and legs."
"I see..." he began scribbling in a notepad which had been flourished from nowhere, "Any blurred vision? Sickness? Dizziness? Flash-backs?"
"Uh... No... Except I just had a dream about-" he stopped himself and winced at the thought.
"About what?"
"The hospital." He replied quietly.
Szayel paused and stared at him for a moment before he wrote it down and nodded, "Alright, you need to rest as much as possible, you are going to need your strength in order to fight the virus."
"Aright..."
"Give the man an energy drink..." Szayel added.
Grimmjow thanked whoever it was who handed him the cool metal tin and cracked it open, chugging down the fruity contents. Aizen glanced between Szayel and Grimmjow for a moment, sensing there was more to 'the hospital' than had been suggested. Out of courtesy, they never asked each other what they had been doing the day the Infected appeared, if they spoke up and shared the story then it was welcomed, but otherwise their privacy was their own to keep or discard as they pleased.
"There's still no sign of any Infected in the vicinity." Ulquiorra broke the awkward silence expertly, "We should find somewhere to refuel the car."
"You're right, we are nearly running on empty."
"There's a gas station on the north side from here, a mile down the road Trafalgar Square. If memory serves, were are very close to there." Grimmjow murmured from his seat as he finished the drink he had been presented with.
"Alright, we'll head there then." Aizen agreed and with a quick spin of the wheel they began charging down the road towards the destination.