Chapter 4: Cannibals like infections

^^ weee! I never wrote something from Genta's point of view before :3 I like the big teddy, he's highly underestimated, anyways wish me luck for this~

Btw you may have recognized my habit to switch between every chara and that was one reason why I made our friends spread ;P So this chapter won't just switch between the different points of views it'll also switch between the two groups :D Hah I'm so mean, but it's a great way to create suspense… I think :}

[Genta]

Genta was walking right behind his friends. Mitsuhiko was walking diagonally left in front of him and Conan right, like this Genta could keep an eye on them. He had seen Alice doing that whenever they were walking as a group and since she explained why she did it he wanted to try it out himself. He made sure he kept looking back ever and anon and the other time he watched neither Mitsuhiko nor Conan would stay back; Genta took special care Conan wouldn't stay back. A little grumpy Genta twitched his mouth. He knew Alice liked Conan, but why? He was much bigger and stronger, he could protect her… well Conan could too, but that wasn't the point.

The boy sighed, he liked Alice ever since she joined their class; ok first he wasn't really interested in her because she looked a little different from the other girls. Alice was a lot smaller and her hair was really curly so Genta didn't thought she was a beauty, but when he got to know her she was smart and really crazy and she was nice to him, different from the others she wasn't looking down on him… and not only because she was so much smaller than him.

Genta crossed his arms behind his head, maybe he had no need to worry anyways; just some minutes ago Alice and Conan had a serious fight so maybe his time had come. A smile curled the lips of the boy while he imagined how he would cheer her up after her fight with Conan.

"Genta!" the voices of Mitsuhiko and Conan from behind him whispered in sync and Genta turned around. While he was lost in thoughts he hadn't recognized his friends staying back and he had walked past them. "Oh" he mumbled and let his arms drop while walking back to them "did you find anything?"

Conan nodded and Mitsuhiko made a gesture to tell Genta to hush. As silent as possible Genta walked behind the two who were standing in front of the classroom of the 4a. Following Haruka and Chiyo they had to go into the corridor opposite the teacher's lounge where only the 4th grade had its rooms.

Genta tried to sneak a peek into the classroom but it was much too dark in there; Genta didn't get why his friends stood there both staring worriedly inside, but he knew if he'd ask he only raise annoyed glares so he kept silent. And then he could hear it, a little moaning from inside there, Genta had never heard something like that before. It sounded so painful and scared that he could barely listen to it anymore. "We need to do something" he finally said and to his surprise Conan and Mitsuhiko nodded. "You're right…" Conan replied low and put on his thinking-expression.

"You two stay here and wait for me." Genta's eyes widened. He couldn't believe it, Conan had stolen his plan! It was his idea to do something… ok he didn't knew what exactly but still, this was mean. "No way! That's mean" Mitsuhiko protested and Genta agreed with him.

"Minna that's not about being mean" Conan replied calmly "I think there's someone in there, someone dangerous and I need to make sure you two don't get hurt, ok?" Genta saw Mitsuhiko nodding, like usual this argument was enough to make him agree and usually it was also enough to make Genta agree, but not this time. "No!" he said "we also have the right to get ourselves hurt just like you. Don't always play the hero just because you know Alice likes it!" The last words bubbled out of Genta's mouth before he could stop them so now he had to put on a serious look like he planned to say it.

For a moment Conan and Mitsuhiko looked at him with a surprised glared then Conan gave him a smiled that seemed to contain understanding. "Ok, I see" he said and for the first time Genta really believed Conan understood him. "But that's exactly why I need you to wait here. In case something happens to me I need you to tell Alice… I'm sorry." An expression of sadness scurried over his face but fast he put on a calm look again. "And watch out for her, just in case of course. And now hide" Conan smiled and vanished into the classroom before Genta or Mitsuhiko could say anything else, but it was ok with Genta. Without talking to each other he and Mitsuhiko hid in a niche opposite the classroom waiting for Conan to return.

"Why does he tell you to watch out for Alice and me not to watch out for Ai?" Mitsuhiko grumbled after they waited for some minutes. "Maybe because Ai doesn't need anyone to watch out for her" Genta said smirking and Mitsuhiko sighed deeply.

"Don't be disappointed" Genta started and turned around to his friend who had become oddly pale "that… that wasn't me Genta-kun." Mitsuhiko replied with wide eyes and now Genta felt his face becoming pale, too. If it wasn't Mitsuhiko who sighed and not Genta who sighed… who was it and why was it that close?

[Alice]

The brown-haired had vanished into the teacher's lounge and closed the door behind her with an angry look on her face but as soon as the door fell shut her anger vanished and sadness took its place. For a moment she pressed her back against the door and tried to calm down. Why did all this horrible things always have to happen to them? Was there no one else on the world who could use some sort of adventure? Wasn't it enough that they got shrunk? But no! They had to get into danger again and slowly it seemed to destroy her and Shinichi's… well whatever they had.

After this attack of self-pity Alice pushed herself off the door and finally understood in what kind of room she was now. Somewhere here something bloody was waiting for her. She gulped and only her pride kept her away from running out again. She switched on her watch-flashlight and started to pan the room. Seemingly some sort of fight was held in here. Chairs and papers were spread all over the floor and even some desks were knocked over.

Shivering Alice let the cone of light wander through the room; scared of what it would show her and when it finally illuminated a bloody corpse it was nearly a release to her; at least now she knew what she was up to see. She walked some steps closer to the body, it was Ren and to Alice's very disgust it looked like something had tried to bite out a piece of his neck before it decided to simply eat Ren's lower half. Alice felt her stomach churn and before she could help herself she threw up into a corner. In her whole life she had seen many bloody corpses but never the corpse of a child. She wiped her arm over her mouth and blinked away the tears in her eyes. When she heard the door to the teacher's lounge opening she was still leaning against the wall to calm her shivering legs.

Before she had the chance to think about what she could do now Ai's voice called "Alice?" Hearing the voice of her friend nearly made her cry again, but she pulled herself together and called "Ai, I'm here" and as she understood what Ai would see when she would find her "d… don't come over here I'll come to you." Slowly she walked over to Ai, Ayumi and Akito who seemed to have followed her, making sure her legs wouldn't give in and when she reached her friends she had to do her best not just to hug them.

Ai, Ayumi and Akito started telling her, what Conan said and that Genta and Mitsuhiko followed him and Alice's felt a little eased. Maybe it was silly but just the fact that Conan hadn't gone on his own eased her. Suddenly Ai said "ne Ayumi, Akito would you keep cave outside? I just have to help Alice for a moment." And though Ayumi frowned she nodded and she and Akito left Ai and Alice alone.

"You found Ren, right?" Ai asked as soon as Ayumi had closed the door. "Yeah… he's dead" Alice replied and tried to suppress the memory of Ren's corpse and the imagination of his parents when they would get to know about it. "Ok… and now can you tell me what this with you and Kudo-kun is?" Alice blinked. She hadn't expected Ai to care about something like that in a situation like this. "U… uhm I dunno what you mean…"
"Come on, since you returned from London you two keep fighting and if you're not fighting you're talking about the weather or a book you've read… Just like you want to avoid any serious issue. I mean did you talk about it at all?"

Alice frowned "it? Uhm… I don't know what there's to talk about…"

"Oh no? I thought you'd be on cloud nine since Kudo confessed his love to you but you didn't even talk about it with him?"

Alice smiled, though it was a sad smile. Of course Ai was right; she and Conan had avoided any talk about London ever since they returned. "You see… it wouldn't make any difference if we talk about it or not as long as we are like this" Alice pointed at her 7-year old body "there's no way we could actually be… together or something. It would only arouse suspicion and we can't risk Ran or anyone else to get hurt, I know Conan would say the same." Now that she had said it out loud she felt the sadness she'd suppress the whole time coming up "I know I've changed and it's not like I didn't knew how dangerous his life is before London, but since then… it's just so much more obvious. I don't know how I should deal with his… I mean how I should behave in case he…" She had to stop or she knew she would start to cry when she thinks about Conan's death.

Alice looked at her friend and waited for a sign of compassion or at least understanding but Ai just smiled her you're-a-real-idiot-smile. "Baka! How do you know he thinks like that if you don't ask him? And don't tell me you wish he was no detective, the fact that he's always running into danger is what you like about him" Alice blinked. "Don't just blink" Ai said and pretended to be strict with Alice. "Just promise me you'll have a serious talk with him as soon as we're out of this."

A little confused Alice nodded, but before she could say anything to say thank you, their current situation, they had tried to ignore so hard, make itself felt again. From the outside they could hear Akito and Ayumi scream in fear.

[Conan]

Conan switched on his watch-flashlight and started to illuminate the classroom of the 4a. He didn't had to enter the room very deep; only some inches away from the door he found Chiyo, or at least what was left of her. Conan put his light away from her corpse. Even though he felt sorry for the little girl he had to make sure whatever killed her wasn't around anymore. Fortunately the room seemed to be abandoned. Conan hesitated. It was weird, Chiyo had literally been torn apart, she must have died instantly… but who had moaned in this room then?

Again Conan panned the room with his light; nothing. When Conan was about to turn around he could hear it again. A moaning, though it sounded different from before. It was louder and not that painfully…Once Conan and Alice had visited the zoo when they'd been about 12 and he heard lions make such a moan just before they savage their victim.

Fast Conan turned around to the point he guess the moaning-thing to be and, hiding behind a desk, his light cone illuminated "Haruka-chan?" he wondered out loud. The black-haired girl from his class was cowering near Chiyo and was pressing one hand against her arm which seemed to be seriously hurt, judging from all the blood that ran through her fingers. Conan felt eased; most likely the girl had found her friend and was now horribly shocked. He reached out her hand to Haruka "Don't worry Haruka-chan, I'll get you out of here." He tried to make his voice sound friendly but he couldn't avoid it growing insisting.

Something was wrong here, horribly wrong. All the signs were that both Kobayashi-sensei and their headmaster had committed dreadful murders and judging from what Alice told him and what he saw himself both teachers didn't seemed to be really well. They were pale and seemingly unfit to plead "and all this started after Akito had thrown this powder at Kobyashi-sensei…" Conan pondered when he suddenly recognized Haruka hadn't grabbed his hand yet.

The girl just watched him and squint her eyes to see through the dazzling light. "Gomen" Conan said though he wondered why she hadn't just said that he's dazzling her. To be exact she had been all silent since he'd spotted her. Fast he turned away the light to stop dazzling her, what was a mistake how he recognized too late.

As soon as he'd made this sudden move, Haruka's eyes widened and out of the blue she got up and jumped at him. Conan gasped as the girl threw him to the floor with such a power that Conan's watch-flashlight hit the floor and cracked. Suddenly the whole world around him seemed to be dark and for a moment Conan thought he'd passed out since his head had hit the floor hard, but then he recognized only his flashlight got broken. Without being able to see anything he tried to focus on his left senses. The one that was claimed most was his nose. The whole room smelled like old blood and mustiness. Secondly he could feel Haruka. She sat on his body and was pressing down his shoulders with her hands. For a 7-year old girl she was unbelievable strong. Third and that was even more worrying, he could hear her. He could hear Haruka's heavy breath and it was approaching.

Conan piped down as his eyes slowly got used to the darkness around. He could spot Haruka's face though he wished he couldn't. Her face was pale and her eyes gaping at him with an expression of lunacy. Whatever was sitting on him had nothing to do with the Haruka he knew. She'd always been a very quiet and shy girl, only with her friend Chiyo she'd been running around and playing but now Chiyo was dead and seemingly Haruka tried to do the same to Conan."And she's succeeding" Conan thought getting more and more exhausted from trying to push her hands of his shoulders, without any effect though.

Conan made a decision. This could be the nastiest thing he'd done in his life but since Haruka was barely some inches away from him he didn't see another way to get out of this. He waited for his chance and then he pushed his feet against Haruka's stomach and using all his strength he was able to push the girl away from him and she stumbled over a chair that lay on the floor and hit the floor behind.

Without hesitation he got up, ready for Haruka to strike again, but nothing happened. Conan frowned and slowly a feeling of sorrow crawled up his throat. He'd just kicked a girl, a little 7-year old girl and now she wasn't moving anymore. Worried he made some steps closer to the chair Haruka had vanished behind so he could see her lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious. The feeling of sorrow vanished as he saw Haruka's hands holding a piece of blue cloth, a part of his suit as he understood while looking down on his arm. She'd simply ripped it out.

Confused Conan rubbed the part of his head that had hit the floor. No matter why, he hadn't kicked a little girl, he had protected his life against something that wanted to kill him with an unbelievable strength. "Whatever happened to Haruka it happened to Kobayashi-sensei and the headmaster, too…" Conan pondered though he couldn't understand what exactly had happened.

A scream interrupted Conan's thoughts. Fast he turned around and head for the door. This scream sounded like Genta and Mitsuhiko's voices and most likely it didn't promise any good. When Conan slammed the door to the corridor open he knew he was right. The headmaster had returned and now he was cornering Genta and Mitsuhiko, also Conan noticed a wound on the headmaster's leg. It didn't seem to be too serious but still it looked like a part of his leg was… missing. For a moment Conan was paralyzed. This was just ridicules. Little girls who smash him down to the floor, headmasters who corner students, bloody corpses seemingly left by his classmates and teachers. Another scream finally brought him back to reality, first he had to safe Mitsuhiko and Genta, afterwards he'd find out what was wrong here.

Once again Conan hesitated. When Haruka, a little girl, had grown that strong how much stronger would the headmaster have become then? Conan clenched his teeth, the headmaster had bended over Mitsuhiko and Genta and so Conan pushed the buttons on his belt and a football started to appear. While it fell down to the floor he switched on his Powerkickboots to the highest level and kicked the ball. The ball flew through the corridor and hit the head of the headmaster whose moves froze and he slowly collapsed. While Conan ran up to his friends and the unconscious teacher he knew he'd done right. This level of his boots had at least seriously hurt any normal person, but the headmaster had barely been knocked out.

"What's wrong with him?" Mitsuhiko asked Conan in a shrill voice. "I don't exactly know… come on and help me… both of you" Conan said while he started to lug the headmaster over to the classroom Haruka and Chiyo were still in. Genta and Mitsuhiko joined him and he started to explain.

"Somehow he, Kobayashi-sensei and the others changed… Something made them this pale and… they don't seem to be themselves. Also they're a lot stronger now and…" Conan hesitated. He didn't knew how much he should tell his friends, they were children at least, but they had followed him into this though and it was the safest if they knew what they were up against. "… and they seem to kill people. I don't know why or how but they do."

Genta and Mitsuhiko gulped but nodded, they understood that this situation was serious. "Do you think it is because… of the powder?" Mitsuhiko finally asked as they closed the door after putting the headmaster in and locking it and Conan blinked at him. He hadn't thought Mitsuhiko would say something he had just came up with himself so a little confused he said "y…yes I think somehow this was the trigger, though I don't know why and there's something else that's weird. Both Haruka and the headmaster seemed to be injured. Not too serious but I think this is how it… spreads."

"You mean it is contagious?" Genta asked with huge eyes and Conan just nodded while he touched his arm a little worried. He glared at the part Haruka had just injured but as far as Conan could see his arm in the darkness it wasn't bleeding, only a part of his jacket was stripped, even his shirt beyond was ok so he didn't think he should be infected.

"But if that's true… the girls and Akito are in danger!" Genta suddenly said and Conan agreed "yeah that's why we need to find them and all get out of here as soon as possible."

And with this the boys made their way back through the corridor to the teacher's longue, not knowing that within the classroom they had just locked a little girl and an old man woke up again.

^^ wow, super long chapter this time :3 Hope chu don't mind

[Ai]

After Ai's talk with her friend was interrupted by the scream both rushed over to the door but before Ai could push down the handle Alice grabbed her shoulder and stopped her.

"Alice?" she wondered but she just shook her head "I want to help them too, but weird things are happening here and we need to be careful." Ai raised an eyebrow but Alice just laid her finger on her lips to show her to be silent and carefully opened the door for a crack to peek through.

"What's out there?" Ai whispered when she saw Alice knitting her eyebrows. "Looks like Kobyashi-sensei is out there… she, oh shit" suddenly Alice's eyes widened and Ai hardly suppressed the urge to grab her hand, usually Lilly wasn't cursing and slowly Ai got annoyed and scared by all her friends starting to break their habits. "I don't know why but she grabbed Ayumi… she really don't seems to be herself at the moment, we need to help her!" Alice said and was about to push the door open. "And what about being careful?" Ai asked laying one hand on the door to stop Alice who bit her lip with a worried expression. "I know but… I'm not good in coming up with plans in emergency situation, that's Shinichi's thing, not mine!" Slowly Alice's voice grew panic and Ai nodded. "Well ok, Kudo-kun isn't here, but what about this plan?"

Ai bended forward and fast she whispered her plan in Alice's ear. "No! That's far too dangerous, let me…" Alice answered.

"No way" Ai interrupted her "my plan, my risk." And because Alice still looked unwilling she added "we don't have any more time to waist, right?" and with this she pushed open the door and gulped.

Her plan was easy. She would distract Kobayashi-sensei and Alice would seek shelter for Ayumi and Akito. The only problem was that Ai hadn't a single clue how she could escape her teacher, but as Alice had said, good plans were Shinichi's thing, not theirs.

Finally Ai stepped in front of Kobyashi who had lifted up Ayumi and Akito was standing nearby; too scared to run or do anything. "Hey!" Ai said with trembling voice, she forbad herself this fear and with a much more confident voice she shouted "Hey I said!" Slow, very slow Kobayashi-sensei turned around to her. Ai felt her heart beating hard against her chest and somehow she couldn't avoid the thought her teacher could hear it pounding. After a little eternity their eyes met and Ai was starring right into the empty eyes of her Kobyashi which once had been this bright and kind; now they were only reflecting their surroundings till they had focused on Ai.

Ai tried to calm herself without moving too much. It was important to make sure her next step would come in time. When the headmaster had rushed after her classmates they had made a sudden move and just like a carnivore the headmaster had run after them like they're his prey. For this he had even spared Conan who was standing closer to him and this was what Ai wanted to achieve now herself. She needed her teacher to forget about the child she was holding in hands and running after Ai instead.

From the corner of her eye she could see Ayumi and Akito watching her, Ayumi with wet eyes and it choked her. "Do it!" she pressed herself but she couldn't move and slowly Kobayashi-sensei was losing interest and turned to Ayumi again. "I'm right behind you." Ai's eyes widened. A voice from behind her had just whispered those words with a low and loving voice. "I won't let her hurt you, promise." Ai put on a resolved look, she couldn't tell why but she trusted Alice and so with a sudden move she sprint right, up to the corner where behind the fire-door and their exit would be though she didn't hoped too much. She wouldn't reach it.

Ai didn't had the time to get exhausted or to look back, she could hear something following her with an unbelievable speed as she rushed around the corner. Ai quickened her pace as much as she could, but her ears told her it was hopeless, her teacher was just some inches away from her and those last inches were shrinking quickly. "I bet Agasa-hakase will worry if I don't come home tomorrow" shot through her head. Sometimes it was weird what kind of thoughts rush through people's minds when they're in danger.

A metallic clonk and a moan seemingly interrupted the steps from behind Ai. For some moments she kept running down the corridor but since the steps were gone she dared to glare back. Kobayashi-sensei stood in the middle of the corridor and finally Ai stopped too; on the floor near her feet Ai could spot a globe from a classroom and behind Kobayashi Alice was standing in the corridor, holding another globe. "What about Ayumi and…" Ai started to shout as her teacher turned her head around to her again. "I showed them a place to hide and now please be quite. Hey! Come and get me if you dare!" Alice shouted the last sentences up to Kobayashi-sensei who made an angry growl, she was not moving though. Ai saw Alice's look getting angry and worried "I told you to come, whatever you've become, don't dare getting any closer to Ai-neechan!" Seemingly she plugged up all her power and threw the second globe which hit Kobayashi's head and made her finally speed up to Alice who cursed and rushed down the corridor again.

Without thinking Ai traced after them. She didn't knew what to do, should she grab the globes and throw them at her teacher herself so this lunatic play tag would started again? But Ai didn't even got the chance to grab the globes, Alice struggled and hit the ground near the corner back to the teacher's longue, within seconds their teacher had reached the brown-haired and bended over her.

"Noooo!" Ai shouted and quickened her pack though she knew it was too late, she could hear Kobayashi or whatever she had become growl and lowering her mouth down to Alice who screamed in fear and pain. "What is she doing?" Ai wondered when a shout made her wince "Go away from her!"

"Shinichi!" she thought and she felt like crying in relief. He had come and he would rescue Lilly, he had to. A football flew up to Kobayashi-sensei from behind the corner and hit her head hard so she flew away from Alice and collapsed on the wall. Now Ai ran up to her friend, hardly breathing. Alice was lying on the floor, she didn't move except her whole body shivering and when Ai reached her she made a whimper as she finally opened her eyes. "Lilly" Ai cried out and hugged the girl close to her which she shivering returned "are you alright?" she asked after a while of hugging.

Alice nodded, she looked pale and scared but she seemed to be ok. "Lil!" Finally Conan had reached the girls, too. "Shinichi, where are Genta and Mitsuhiko?" Alice asked. Well again, sometimes it's weird what kind of thoughts rush through people's minds when they're in danger or just out of it.

"T… they're with Ayumi and Akito in the hide-out. But are you ok?" Ai saw him kneeling down to Alice and surprisingly he seemed to be shivering too while he touched her shoulder. Again Alice just nodded, but different to Ai, Conan didn't seem to be eased. "Really?" he asked insisting.

"Yes" Alice replied a little worry in her voice "just a little wound on my arm. It's disgusting but I think she… bit me." These words made the last trace of color vanish from Conan's face. "Let me have a look" he said, more whispered it and reached for Alice's arm which seemed to be a little hurt. "It's nothing serious, barely more than a scratch." Alice tried to calm Conan but he just started at the wound which was slightly bleeding.

In this moment Ai couldn't tell what was happening in Conan's mind. The only thing she was sure of was that his thoughts were rushing in his head. Finally he swallowed and nodded. "Ok, let's find the others and just get out of here."

"S…Shinichi?" Alice asked with her brown eyes glued to Conan, still sitting on the floor while he just got up and walked back down to the teacher's longue. "Come, hurry up" he said not even looking back at her and Ai saw Alice shoulders lowering disappointedly. Finally she got up; covering her wound with her hand and so both followed Conan.

Don't forget to leave a review to help me improve :) (Honestly, leave one or get eaten ;E)