Disclaimer: I still do not own or make money from the anime Death Note, the idea of this fic is mine however.
Suggested Listening: Our Solemn Hour by Within Temptation
Part 27
~Parting~
Outside everything was quiet when they peeked out of the apartment; even though the sun was barely in the sky Matt had expected more than the silence they were greeted with. Being outside and breathing in the fresh air, it gave Matt a rather massive craving for his cigarettes. It was worse than the hunger pangs one would get after forgetting to eat for a stretch of time.
He scratched the back of his skull and sighed softly knowing it would be another day at the least before he could get to them. God help Mello when he did. No living dead would find them for a week after Matt had smoked his fill.
"Stop daydreaming and move your ass." Mello hissed back at him, voice quiet and eye darting all over the place. They were in a community with "stay inside" orders and other than a few shadows passing by no one other than them were braving the outside; keeping quiet was a must, he supposed.
Trudging on beside Mello they quickly came upon the Community Distribution Center, which had been promptly boarded up since the day before. And when Matt said "boarded up" he meant it. There were even padlocks on the doors. It didn't look like the place would be open to the public anytime soon never mind handing out masks. Score one for the new authority figures.
"Matt, look." Mello grabbed his arm and dragged him across the street and behind a left behind garbage bin. It took a moment for Matt's eyes to adjust to the distance they were looking but when he zeroed in on it the sight made him feel sick.
People in hazmat suits were dragging a body-bag out the front of the Decontamination Centers doors. He and Mello shared a look; they didn't need a closer look to know that was the deceased childs mother.
He and Mello were far from delusional. This community was going to meet the same fate as number seven if things continued on the way they were; it was time to leave.
"We should have left yesterday. I should have made us leave."
"It's fine Mello-"
"No its not. If people haven't begun to leave yet it's because they are in denial. An unknowingly infected person comes into the community and after they are put down, suddenly two more people drop dead? That is not a coincidence Matt. That is an impending disaster and you damn well know it." Mello hissed at him, eyes blazing and Matt couldn't disagree.
To stay any longer was to die. They might already be infected as it was.
"Alright, lets go to the main office and tell them we are leaving today and have them get our things ready for us. We can tidy up the apartment while we wait." Matt stated calmly and waited until Mello nodded before going back the way they had come. They had been watching the entrance for a while and no one was around. Matt wasn't going to subject his poor back to crouching unless he had to.
It was a short sprint to the main office, neither of them being able to sit still long enough to walk, and Matt breathed a sigh of relief when the door yanked open. How hard would it have been to get their things without telling anyone or getting the proper clearance? Matt didn't even want to think about it.
"-And they really should be paying more attention to our own community than some damn deserted one!" There were raised voices behind a closed office door and Matt wasn't sure if they should wait for them to finish or not. Mello however didn't have the same thoughts and knocked curtly once before barging in, startling the two men inside.
Wiping a hand across his face in disbelief Matt followed.
"What can I do for you boys?" The balding office man asked while the other man turned around to face them. Matt was somehow less surprised to see Marcus than Marcus was to see them, if the expression on the older mans face was anything to go by.
"We would like to leave today. I believe we have... overstayed our welcome." Mello stated calmly though Matt was unconvinced as the blonds shoulders were tense.
'Balding man' and Marcus shared a quick look before all attention was back on them. "I'm sorry to hear that. Did you want to leave later on this evening or are you looking to leave sooner than that?"
"Within the hour if possible. I know it's short notice but both of us are rather anxious to get to the northern states." Mello told them smoothly.
"Alright, let me find the registry and I'll have both of you sign this and everything will be all set for you to get your things. I'll also need the apartment key if you've got it on you."
Matt fished the tiny silver key from the depths of his pocket as Mello signed himself out first. As Mello steppe aside, their hips nearly brushing in the confined space, Matt placed the key beside the registry and signed out his nickname.
"Good, good. Everything seems in order. I'll just go to the yard and get them to ready your things for you. I assume you will be waiting in the apartment until then, unless you have locked it up?" Upon both of their nods the balding man heaved himself out of the well used swivel chair and excused himself from the office.
"The woman is dead isn't she, the one just put in quarantine." Mello stated, voice low as he glanced around to make sure there wasn't anyone else in the vicinity to hear them.
Marcus hesitated though he caved only moments later after Mello's expression never changed.
"She was found dead earlier, gagged on her own blood and upon the quick autopsy there was a large amount of clear fluid built up in her lungs that had started the accent to her nasal cavity."
In short, had the fever not killed her she would have soon been in the early 'zombie like' stages of the infection. That drugged out like stupor before flesh suddenly seemed appetizing.
"Any reason why she and the boy died?" Matt asked. It was odd. Usually, at least to Matt's knowledge, he infected didn't die. They were held on the brink of death at all times and even when the fluid began to leak from their sinuses and mouths they were still alive. Always just alive.
"We have none." Marcus hardly sounded like the answer was good enough for him.
"Thanks Marcus." They had plenty to do before they left and there was no point in dragging out the conversation when they had everything that could be answered. That would probably be the last time they spoke to Marcus.
"Good luck boys." Marcus called to them after a moment of silence, waiting until they were very nearly passed the threshold to do so.
"Good luck to you as well." Mello returned in what Matt thought might have been a pitying voice. Perhaps because the two men in there knew what was going on and were powerless to leave or to change it. Powerless to change fate.
Because there was now no doubt in Matt's mind that this would be the second community to fall.
"Mello, wait." Matt grabbed the blonds arm to slow him down before they got too close to the apartment. He thought they should do something else before they left as they didn't have the chemicals on hand.
"We should go to decon and see if one of the doctors in there will give us the test before we leave."
Mello almost appeared to want to protest though Matt couldn't think of a single reason for it. "Yeah, alright. I suppose we now at least have a reason for wanting it."
But that doesn't mean they will give it to us, Matt thought.
.
.
It almost felt as though they were trespassing as they pushed passed the thick plastic dividers into the decon units lab portion. It was silent, a deathly silence, inside and Matt wanted to tell Mello to forget it but knew that it had been his idea in the first place and Mello wouldn't leave until they had gotten the test.
Sometimes Matt questioned the genius of his own mind.
"What are you doing here? The streets are restricted to the public-"
"Hey... Teru?" Matt called, struggling to remember the name of the man who they had seen on their first day there. Teru looked away from Mello and upon recognizing Matt seemed immediately more friendly.
"Hello Matt, what are the two of you doing here? You did hear the announcement didn't you?" Teru pushed the glasses up his nose as he walked over and Matt was left wondering about the personality shift.
"We are actually leaving today." Mello chipped in, seemingly taking pleasure in the displeased expression Teru let slip. What the hell was going on with those two?
"That's too bad then. I was hoping you would stay a while longer." Teru came to stand beside Matt and to the redheads dismay he was shorter than the dark haired man.
"I was wondering if you could test the both of us before we left to make sure we aren't infected. We don't want any surprises to start the trip off." With the way Mello was narrowing his eyes Matt figured they had about ten maybe fifteen minutes to leave decon before something bad happened. He didn't know what had happened between those two when they first met to get them this cold to each other and Matt didn't really care.
"Just sit down and let me take your blood and I'll get you the results right here."
"Alright, thanks Teru." Matt seated himself and rolled up his shirt so the taller man could have access to his arm. The latex gloves felt odd on his arm as the needle bit his skin and Matt was happy when both were removed.
Teru put a bit of the blood into a test tube, added the mix of chemicals and put a drop of it on a slide after it stayed the same pinkish red color. It was then placed under a microscope for view.
Matt hadn't noticed but they were in the same area as they had been when first getting out of decon upon arriving. Matt was happy his hair wasn't dripping water onto his clothes this time around.
"You are all clear."
Matt nodded and let Mello replace him in the chair, watching as Mello winced when a new needle came in contact with his arm. The process was repeated until Teru looked up at him.
"Say Matt, what would you do should your friend ever get infected? Would you join a community then?" Teru asked with a blank almost calculating expression. Somehow Matt was left uneasy by it, especially with how Teru had said 'friend' like it was a dirty word.
"I would probably still travel out there, only alone I guess. I made it fine on my own before."
"Pity. I wouldn't have minded you staying here. Either way both of you are clear. I hope you have a safe journey." Teru commented before taking the blood and needles away to the 'hazardous materials' box in the corner of the room.
"Matt, lets go!" Mello hissed at him, practically dragging him from decon. Not that Matt was complaining. Things had gotten just a little bit too weird in there.
Though now that they were back on the deserted streets the urgency of their situation became apparent again and all awkward situations aside things were going to get serious again. And time to wait again too..
.
.
It was almost two hours later that they were heading out of the community gates and somehow the air smelt fresher and less constricting than before. Which was a little odd as Matt was clouding it with his cigarettes.
They had received some envious glances as well as a few blank stares as they had rolled out of the confines of the community and though Matt wished them well he really wouldn't be surprised to suddenly hear about the community going under.
It was almost inevitable. He just hoped that the other communities weren't like this one and that at sign of infection people might all be quarantined or evacuated until the place could be scrubbed down or something.
He wasn't about to hold his breath though, and apparently neither was Mello if that muttering the blond was doing under his breath while holding the rosary was anything to say.
-End 27-
AN: yay another update :D.
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Special thank to reviewers: TheShadows2523, Keono, Amour en Rayures, issagokurosaki, mxmsupporter, theheartstourniquet, Deadly Nightshade1395
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Preview of next RN chapter:
The longer they stayed the more likely that something would go horribly wrong.
"That went surprisingly well, don't you think?" Mello grumbled, shifting one of the bags to his other shoulder. Matt supposed that it had and in all reality it could have gone much worse..
or maybe they had simply counted it a trip gone well before they were actually safe.
"Matt, what are you looking at- oh fuck."
Oh fuck indeed, Matt thought.
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