Another one! This fast! Its only been what, three days? I think that's pretty impressive considering it usually takes me at least a week to update haha. I figured I owe it to those following this one since its been kind of shafted while I'm writing 'HSGS'. Likely it will continue to be a little neglected but I will try the update quick as I can!
Thanks so much to those reading/reviewing/following. It keeps me going and motivates me even more so!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER
Three:
Unexpected sunlight slipped through the planks of wood nailed across her bedroom window. The sunlight was unexpected as it never seemed to shine anymore. The sky was always grey and overcast these days. Maka yawned and stretched from her place in bed.
For a blissful moment she forgot everything that had happened and reached over for the warmth that normally sprawled out beside her. Her hands fell through empty air and landed on the cold unused sheets. Her heart constricted painfully and she turned away from them as well as the sun, ignoring the way a lump rose up in her throat and her eyes burned. She rubbed them pretending it was just to get rid of the sleep though for whose benefit the pretending was she couldn't say.
She frowned when she found a dried smear of blood on the back of her hand. The previous night had been so hectic she'd collapsed into her bed without a thought for washing up. Not to mention the water in the building was often cold so it wasn't something to look forward too. Her heavy eyes slipped closed, still tired despite how deeply she'd slept.
Images of the previous night flashed behind her eyelids. A screaming woman, her fiancée's bullet wound pumping out blood too quickly to staunch. Maka's fist clenched at her side. They hadn't arrived in time. The incident with the gang members had happened too far from the clinic, he'd been trying to protect his bride to be. Maka covered ears at the memory of the woman's broken sobs. They'd had to drag her away from him.
Her eyes flew open trying to banish the memory. She trembled a little. He was the first patient she'd lost since the quarantine had began and she couldn't stand it. The memory was like a nightmare she couldn't wake from, it wouldn't drift away as the day went on like a dream.
She turned over again, back to the sunlight and Soul's empty side of the bed. She had tried to force herself to sleep on it at first but it had been too strange. Her hand rested on his pillow and she wished he was there to comfort her. Losing a patient was always a traumatic thing. She put on a brave face for everyone else but when she came home he'd always known something was wrong. He pulled it out of her and managed to make her forget for awhile. He understood after all. He had to deal with the same sort of thing.
Crash. Maka jolted upright in bed. The sound of a metal bowl rolling to a stop on the floor echoed down the hall. Her heart thundered in her chest. Someone was in the apartment. That or she was being haunted which seemed a great deal less likely.
She searched her room for a makeshift weapon. In her rush she picked up a massive hardcover novel she'd been reading. Unfortunately she didn't have the traditional baseball bat for intruders. She was sure the book would work just as well.
Barefoot, in only her flannel sleep shorts and one of Soul's forgotten band t-shirts, she crept down the hall towards the kitchen. A scuffling sound and more clattering met her ears. She peered around the corner, brandishing the book like a weapon.
Crouching in the center of her kitchen was the elderly woman from the first floor. The only other tenant that had remained after the quarantine. Shafts of light broke through the window in pieces, the air sparkling with dust motes. Her breath puffed out in shock at the sight before her.
The elderly widow was tearing up the old Chinese food cartons that had previously been in Maka's fridge and shoving the rotten food in her mouth. The fridge door was thrown open along with all the cupboards and drawers, all the items in them were strewn across the floor along with garbage can that had been knocked over. Maka stepped into the kitchen hesitantly.
"Ms. Herondale?" She asked quietly her words slipping into the room overtop of the sounds of the woman gnawing on an old chicken bone. The old woman didn't respond at first. Her silvery hair dishevelled and in her face, blocking her expression from Maka's sight. "Ms. Herondale you don't have to do that…there was a supply drop yesterday. I can bring you some proper food." Why hadn't the older woman come to her sooner and let her know things were this bad? She'd told her neighbour countless times that she was always there to help her when she needed it. "Ms. Herondale…its me Maka…"
The sound of her chewing on the chicken bone stopped suddenly. For a breathless moment there was an eerie silence in the room. A single shaft of light laid across the older woman as her fist closed around the bone. She squeezed and there was a crunching sound, splinters of bone pierced her hand and blood dripped onto the floor. "Makaaaaa…" her voice was strange. The final 'A' croaking and drawn out. Her hand opened and the splinters of bone crumbled onto the floor, stained red now. "I don't know a Maka." Her head snapped up and Maka stepped back a little in unpleasant surprise.
Her eyes were bloodshot, the pupils a yellowish colour, unnatural. Her bleeding mouth stretched into a grin, her teeth dark from the blood, foam at the corners. She cocked her head, eyes shining in a bizarre animal like fashion. Like a predator observing its prey. Maka covered her mouth with her hand, holding back a gasp.
"You're…you're infected." She murmured against her hand, horrified. She hadn't seen a person so far gone this close before. The only infected she'd ever interacted with were in the beginning stages. Their symptoms more flu-like than anything.
She had heard about what they were like. How they appeared almost normal apart from their eyes. The teeth were not a usual symptom, they were unique to the old woman. She didn't remember her at all. This wasn't the sweet old widow who lived downstairs anymore. "Something is…wrong with you dear." Ms. Herondale said softly. The older woman rose from her crouch, her movements more graceful and lithe than any woman of her age could possibly be. Another side effect of the virus when it reached this point.
Maka's face twisted in disgust as her former neighbour took a step towards her. The old woman's face warped into a feral snarl. "You think you're better than me." She spat. "So healthy…so different…" The elderly woman produced a steak knife that had been in one of Maka's currently open drawers. It glinted in the sunlight peeking through the windows and Maka licked her dry lips with a frown. This was not good. The woman flipped the knife in the air, catching its handle easily and brandishing it in her direction.
Definitely not good.
She shrieked and rushed her, Maka was forced to pirouette out of the way. She was sure she looked ridiculous but it mattered little to her in this moment she just wanted to stay alive.
Her hands whipped back, clutching her novel and then snapped forward again striking her neighbour in the back of the head with as much force as she could muster. There was a crack as her neck snapped forward from the force of the blow and she stumbled. Ms. Herondale was silent for a moment, a quiet weeping coming from where she knelt with her back to her. Maka's hardened her heart against it, this was not the same old woman. "So heartless," she sneered as she whipped around, knife still in hand.
The knife swooped down and Maka lifted the book, blocking the blow. It sunk into the hard cover, jamming in place. Maka twisted the book and the knife came out of her attackers grasp. The woman howled and threw herself at her. The book clattered out of her grasp and they fell back into the counters edge. Maka struggled to keep her back, the infected woman's teeth gnashing together loudly as she tried to reach her, hurt her any way she could.
Maka's foot slipped on one of the many pieces of trash that littered the floor. Her hand flew up as she fell and the infected woman's teeth clamped down over her forearm. She screamed as they sunk into her flesh and she felt the warmth of her own blood begin to roll down her arm. Her vision blurred from the tears of pain that sprung up in her eyes and she scrambled to get a hold of something to beat the old woman off.
Her hand landed on the knife, still jammed into the cover of the book. She whipped it up and around bashing it into the side of the elderly woman's head. The jarring impact pulled her teeth out of Maka's arm and she tumbled onto the kitchen floor. Ignoring the way her arm burned she stood and stuck her foot on the book for leverage. She yanked the knife out and approached the woman who was turned over trying to get up.
That was it. Maka had had enough. Her arm looked like it was dressed in a red sleeve. A few drops slipped from her fingertips and onto the kitchen tile as she approached the woman. "Alright. I am so done with this." She snarled. "You need to get the fuck out of my house." She turned the knife over in her hand. "No more nice Maka."
The elderly woman whirled like some sort of creature and tackled her. Maka cursed as they hit the ground and the two grappled with the knife. The woman bared her teeth as she tried she force the knife back. Maka pushed with all her might. With one last burst of adrenaline and a mighty shove it sunk into the woman's head with a sickening squelch. Panting Maka released her hold on it and skittered back. She closed her eyes for a moment as she caught her breath and then scrambled up to promptly be sick in the sink.
She examined the wound on her arm with a grimace. Not good. With shaking hands she pulled out her phone, her fingers were tentative on the keys, unsure who to call. She dialled.
"Tsubaki." Her friends voice was concerned on the other line, she should have been at the clinic a half an hour ago. "I need you to come to my apartment right away. Bring a field kit. I-I'll explain when you get here." She closed the phone with a frown. Definitely not good. She heaved herself up towards the bathroom and her first aid kit.
The knock on the door was soft and Maka approached it while cradling her arm against her chest. "Maka?" her friends voice called from behind the door. "Can we come in?" the handle turned and Maka locked the door in response.
"Tsubaki-" she called to her.
"What's the big idea Maka?" an obnoxious voice interrupted. "Locking out a Big Star like me should be a crime!" Of course she'd brought Black Star with her. Maka groaned inwardly as she leaned against the door with a weary frown.
"I…my neighbour from downstairs was infected. She broke into the apartment this morning and bit me." She could make out the collective gasp on the outside of the door.
"I don't think it's a good idea for you to come into the apartment just in case. I don't know what's going to happen to me." There was silence for a moment.
"I'll call Kid." Tsubaki told her.
Their symmetry obsessed friend arrived an hour later. Maka heard his sharp rapt on the door, eight knocks in quick short succession. "Maka," he called to her calmly. "Let me in." She frowned.
"I can't do that Kid."
"Yes you can, trust me I'll be fine." She didn't say anything, just stared at the door. "Maka I've been studying the infection since the beginning, just open the door." With a sigh she unlocked it and opened it a little bit, stepping back. Kid entered carrying his kit with him and a mask pulled over his mouth and nose. Maka moved over to the couch, slumping down in her seat she flinched when Kid sat next to her, still afraid she would infect him. He gently pulled her arm towards him after opening up his kit he'd brought with him.
"The infection has a seven day incubation period," he started with a pitying expression. "The first twelve hours are the least dangerous, meaning you are not contagious during that time frame. You'll need to be quarantined until the incubation period is over." He began to clean her wound, it was already bruising around the tender flesh, purple and green. She chewed her lip and looked away with a grimace as he tended her injury. She'd done what she could with the minimal supplies in her first aid kit but the supplies Kid had brought were better. Kid continued to talk as he treated her, his voice an almost soothing lull as he detailed the infections process.
"You're going to get sick," he started. "It will feel like the worlds worst flu, you're already hot to the touch so I wouldn't be surprised if you're already feverish." Maka winced as he wiped her arm clean, it had already started to weep clear liquid. "Towards the middle of the incubation you will likely hallucinate, its unfortunate but that is usually a sign the infection has taken hold. I believe that's what leads to the eventual memory loss and drastic personality change. The fever essentially scrambles your brain, sometimes permanently, sometimes temporarily." Kid took out a syringe and held it loosely in his hand. Maka didn't comment on it as she figured he would tell her what it was for eventually. "At the end of the seven days if your eyes start to change colour…well…you know what that means," he finished quietly.
"Why does the infection change the eye colour?" she wondered. Kid frowned.
"I haven't figured it out yet to be honest, I thought initially maybe it had to do with the pigment but after some tests I found it doesn't effect the infected's vision," he sighed.
The glass of the syringe in Kid's hands caught the light seeping in through the cracks in the wood across her living room window. He held it up with a hopeful expression.
"Would you mind if I take some blood? For my research?" She shrugged and proffered out her arm for him.
"Have at it," she told him. He proceeded to draw blood and take a swab sample of the bite in question before he wrapped her arm in a clean white bandage. Tucking his samples into his case as he packed up his supplies he continued to explain.
"The way the infection is passed changes. Initially, after the first twelve hours I mentioned. Its passed much the same as any virus. After the week long incubation if its fully taken hold it only requires a fluid swap to pass. Blood, spit, sweat…other bodily fluids. You get the picture." The soft sound of a phone vibrating in someone's pocket filled the momentary silence. Kid produced a sleek little phone and answered it. He gestured for Maka to bear with him for a moment and he rose and stepped away from her. Not wanting to be rude Maka didn't try to over hear what he was saying, he spoke to lowly for her to make out his words anyways; it hurt her head to try. She put a hand to her forehead wearily wiping away sweat, she shivered a little and reached for a blanket on the back of the couch as Kid returned.
"I'm having the er-body removed by some of my people," he told her as he sat down on the couches edge beside her again. Kid was the heir to a large oil corporation. His father had tried to airlift him out when the quarantine had began but Kid had refused, he had not wanted to leave his friends behind. Especially not Patti. His father, disappointed as he'd been, had understood. Though Kid's father had always wanted him to take over the family business Kid had other ideas. He went to school to become a doctor, this is where Maka had met him through Tsubaki; the two of them being in the same class.
Eventually Kid had changed his mind about his choice of profession though and got more into the research side of medicine. He'd had a meltdown during the observation of a kidney transplant. One kidney? The horror and lack of symmetry was too much for Kid to bear.
"Maka?" she started a little, realizing Kid had been trying to talk to her and she'd dozed off. "Sorry, what?" she blinked. His face contorted into an expression of concern. He blew out a breath.
"We've moved the body out. I didn't want to go without saying goodbye." She sat up, the blanket falling from her shoulder. He sighed heavily. "You already look sick," he murmured, more to himself than anything. "I want you to know I'm working as fast as I can to find a cure Maka. If anything would make me work harder it would be this. I only hope I don't have to use it for you and you get better on your own." He leaned forward and they embraced each other.
He rose fluidly from his seat. "Tsubaki and Black Star are outside. They want to come talk to you before the twelve hours is up. We're going to leave you here for your quarantine, we'll just barricade the door. I'll be back when the week has passed." She nodded, eyes out of focus. "Fight this Maka. You're strong, you can beat it," he encouraged as he made his way to the door. She padded after him, barefoot, still dressed in her PJ's and with the blanket hanging from her shoulders like a cape. "You only have six hours left that you can physically interact with people." Six hours? She didn't remember so much time passing.
Tsubaki was teary eyed and her face held a continuously worried expression for their whole interaction. Black Star chattered as he always did, going on about how if it was him he would get through it easily, being a god and all. He proceeded to tell her there was no way she could infect him, he insisted he repelled the virus with his god-like aura and that by just being in his presence as often as she was there was no way the infection would take. She only smile softly at what she knew were his attempts to cheer her up.
Despite their attempts to cheer her she knew in their minds they were saying goodbye. So few people survived the infection. And even if they survived the initial flu-like stage the infection would warp and they became the…zombie-like things the people feared. Like Ms. Herondale had been. Both Tsubaki and Black Star needed to get back to work, though they seemed reluctant to go. Maka insisted they leave. "Nothing you can do will help me now. There are people you can help at the clinic," she told them.
An hour after the two had left Liz and Patti showed up on her doorstep bearing a basket full of gifts for her. Liz bustled into the room and dumped her armful of items on the kitchen table. Patti skipped in after her, ignoring Maka's bewildered expression. "Kid told us," she explained. "We've still got some time."
They'd brought her food and an assortment of items to help with the flu-symptoms that had already started to creep up on her. Cough drops and cold medication, tissues and pain killers. "They won't make you better," Patti murmured. "We know that. But Kid said they might at least help you feel a little better…maybe." Maka hugged the two girls tightly.
In their care-kit they'd assembled they'd also brought a collection of movies for her watch and a stack of books. Liz smirked a little when Maka asked where they'd gotten the movies. They'd taken them from the abandoned video-store around the corner from Liz's apartment. It wasn't stealing, Liz insisted, they were just borrowing them. Patti had brought some of the books from Kid's library, not being a big reader herself.
Maka appreciated their efforts but didn't voice what she was thinking. Based on what Kid had told her it was unlikely she would be coherent enough to watch movies or read books in a few days time. Fever-induced hallucinations were in her very near future.
She ended up watching a movie with the girls. They did a better job remaining cheery for her than the tender-hearted Tsubaki had. She still caught the occasional worried expression shared between them though. Maka didn't end up enjoying the movie, she only worried about the time as it played through. Only one hour remained before she was on lock down. The two sisters offered to stay until the end of the final hour but Maka refused them, not wanting to risk it. She practically shoved them out the door.
"Do you want me call him?" Liz asked quietly. Maka's chest constricted and after a moment of silence she shook her head. Liz's eyebrows lifted. "He'd want to know Maka." Patti nodded eagerly beside her sister.
"He still loves you, he'll be upset if nobody tells him."
"Tell him I made you promise not to if he finds out. Blame it on me."
"Why don't you want him to know?"
"He'll just worry and probably do something stupid. You know what he's like. Reckless." Liz smiled sadly.
"Sounds like someone else I know," she joked half-heartedly. "I guess you both just rubbed off on each other." The sisters bid their friend goodbye with promises to visit her through the door at least throughout the next week.
The door closed gently behind them and Maka locked the handle, the deadbolt, and the chain. Likely pointless. Kid had told her they would be barricading it from outside. But anything that might slow her when her mind was addled and she took it in her head to escape the apartment was a good thing.
With a sigh she turned and went to the couch, curling up with a blanket and one of the books Patti had brought her. Her throat began to tickle as she was reading and she fell into a coughing fit. So it begins. Was her only thought.
Oh whaaat? Betcha didn't see that coming! Muahaha. ^^; I like keeping my readers on their toes. What can I say?
I will try to get the next chapter up for this soon as I can. However, as aforementioned 'HSGS' is my current priority. Also my VACATION that is coming up in a week here. *excited dance* I apologize but the gap between this update and the next will likely be awhile. I will try my darndest to get something up before August but you may not see anything til then!
As always, reviews make this writer's day! And may just stop me from losing my mind from this MUTANT fly that has been in my apartment for like three days now. I have tried everything short of setting the apartment on fire to eliminate it. I may have to resort to drastic measures here. (Joking! Well...only a little ehehehe) Too ridiculous. Now that I've finished venting my hatred for the fly (I may have to name him if he continues to plague me like this) I'm out!
-Song :3