A/N: The first chapter to 2/3 of my brand-new stories. I've always wanted to write a Zombie AU!
Izaya looked at his phone as he walked between the people of the street, it was ringing, but with the caller ID showed as blocked. Izaya answered it, frowning in thought. A voice at once spoke, without so much as waiting for him.
{Oh, hello. Is this Mr Izaya Orihara I'm speaking with?}
Izaya continued to walk as he replied, "Yes, this is Orihara."
{I have to tell ya, I'm at the end of my rope here. Thanks to you getting that monster mixed up with the Awakusu group…. it's really thrown me off my game plan. Seriously, if Akane Awakusu hadn't got involved with Shizuo Heiwajima, heh, things would have gone a lot more smoothly by now.}
Izaya glanced at the phone, his frown had deepened. "Hey, who the hell is this?"
The person on the other end laughed. {No need for you to know my name, but as a token of our new friendship; let me offer an opinion, or rather, a warning. You're a bit too good looking Izaya.}
Izaya stopped walking then. "What?"
{It makes you stand out in a crowd. So, in your case, trying to blend in really isn't an ideal way for you to hide. Besides, you're looking kind of stressed, I think a nap will do you a world of good.}
Izaya's eyes widened when he realised that the person he had been speaking with, was now right there beside him. Before he could react, Izaya felt something sharp penetrate his side with a single thrust. His phone instantly clattered to the floor as he gasped, he looked down, his vision blurred in and out of focus when he watched blood flow down toward his leg, and he collapsed in the middle of the zebra crossing.
…
Izaya opened his eyes to the darkness of his room, he remembered getting stabbed in the street and that he was in the hospital. He sighed and then forced himself into a sitting position, a hand coming to rest on his wound. He glanced at the clock on the wall, 03:10, he then looked at the door to his room, Izaya stared intently at the door for a few seconds, then –
A loud noise that sounded a lot like an explosion, followed by a bright glow of flames, interrupted his thoughts. The noise startled him, and he frowned as he turned his attention away from the door and toward his window. The glow of flames flickered light into his room on and off, he carefully swung his legs over the bed and brought his hand up around his side as he shuffled across the floor. Using his other hand, he peered through the window and glanced down into the streets. He frowned slightly in confusion, he could hear muffled screams from the people below, they were running all over the place, scattering like ants. "What's going on…." It was dark, and despite the angry bright flames that licked across the street, he couldn't discern anything that was going on below.
Izaya turned away from the window and glanced at his jacket that was hanging up by the closet. Well, first things first; he looked down at himself and opened the blue hospital robe that was covering his body. He checked the bandage to make sure it was satisfactory; it was clean at least. Izaya began to dress himself, starting with his pants, being careful of his wound. As he was pulling his shirt over his head, the door to his room opened in one fast swoop. Izaya stilled and then watched as a nurse come rushing in, she quickly locked eyes with him, realising that he was up and out of bed. Izaya expected her to start fussing over him, telling him that he shouldn't be getting dressed or even be moving around.
She did none of these; the light was switched on quickly and Izaya immediately noticed the fear on her face. "Oh, Mr Orihara, it's not safe here right now," she spoke with a panicked tone and then pointed at the door. "You must come with me; the hospital is being evacuated."
Izaya looked at her for a moment, trying to assess the situation. "Why?" he then grinned, as though he had come up with his own reasons. "I just bet there is a certain blond monster after me," he chuckled. "He's certainly going to great lengths this time, managing to clear an entire hospital, how very brutish of him." Izaya grabbed his jacket and slipped into the sleeves.
The woman frowned in confusion and stepped more into the room. "I don't know about a specific hair colour, but I don't think it really matters, come on, you have to leave and follow the rest to the evacuation zone."
Izaya's grin faded and he glanced to the window, then back to the nurse. "Is this to do with what's going on outside?"
The nurse's face contorted with a fearful expression. "You saw them?"
Izaya stepped toward her, deciding that it would benefit him if he followed her, if only to find out what was happening. "Them, who's them?"
The nurse shuddered. "Come on, you must leave, they have already started to overrun this place, it's not saf-" Izaya's eyes widened and a yelp escaped his mouth; all too quickly, someone – some-thing, pushed the nurse to the ground, her scream of terror filled his ears. Izaya backed himself up against the wall and watched with a horrified expression as the woman was bit and slowly torn apart. Her piercing screams were cut off and her attacker merely continued to dive into his, 'meal.' No sign of remorse, no hesitation, just…. attack.
The raven couldn't utter a word, wasn't even sure if he was even breathing, but the attacker hadn't noticed him, yet. Slowly, and very quietly, he crouched low and shimmied under the bed. Izaya had no weapon with which to defend himself against that kind of monstrosity. Just what the fuck was that? He winced at the tension his stretched form caused his wound, but he stayed still, hoping whoever or whatever it was, left soon. Bile rose in his throat though, and he suddenly had to turn his head away, the woman's insides were quite literally being pulled apart…...and eaten. Certainly not blond, and most definitely not Shizuo; monster? Very likely, but…... what caused someone to do that? Was this what the woman was trying to tell him, was this the reason for the evacuation?
Them. Did that mean there was more than one of these things? Izaya glanced over at the window, that would explain the panic that was taking over the streets below. I have to be dreaming. Izaya looked at the now half eaten mess of what used to be the nurse, he cringed and squashed the need to vomit down. There was something more important he had to do right now, and that was to get the hell out of here. Maybe I could escape while it's distracted. Izaya reached his arm out and gripped the edge of the bed, he slowly pulled himself out from the side. He kept his breathing light and crouched as he shifted forward inch by inch. With a clenched fist, he stood up, his heart was beating rapidly and painfully against his chest. So far, the man, at least he thought it was a man, hadn't noticed him, still chowing down on the poor nurse's flesh. That's right, just focus on your meal there…... Izaya grimaced at his own thoughts, what the hell was he even thinking?
His attention shifted between the door and the attacker as he took a step forward each time. In the distance, just down the corridors from his room, he could hear screams and shouts. He just hoped to god that the one in his room just stayed distracted for another minute longer. Izaya shuffled along the wall, his attention fully on the man now as he reached the doorway. Stepping out into the corridor, he quickly backed himself against the wall, taking a few seconds to breathe a sigh of relief. As he opened his eyes, he all but gasped loudly when he came face to face with another one. Izaya yelped and jumped to the side when it lunged for him, but then in a split second, blood sprayed from its forehead. The raven's eyes were wide as he just watched the rabid-like human collapse to the floor. Someone else came into his viewpoint and spoke quickly. "Were you bit?"
Izaya stared at him, his body seemed to have gone into shock. "Wha?" he could barely get a syllable out.
The man frowned, shifting his gun and stepped forward. "Did it get you?" The raven shook his head, but he was frozen in place. "What put you here?"
Izaya blinked in confusion and then followed the man's gaze to his wrist. He lifted his arm up and realized that the man was questioning the band around his wrist. "I was stabbed…." There was a growl to their left and Izaya's eyes widened as the one he left behind in his room had its sights on them now. Blood was splayed over its clothes and dripping from teeth, Izaya tried not to think about what it had been doing to get that way. Before it could lunge at them, a single gunshot pierced through its forehead.
Turning back to the raven, the man spoke, "I'm just going to wager a guess that you have no idea what's going on, right?"
Izaya shook his head, he really really didn't. "Is it rabies or something?"
The man, or, soldier, snorted a laugh. "Can see why you might say that, but rabies isn't contagious." He gestured his thumb down the corridor when a scream interrupted them. "We're trying to get as many as we can to safety, this hospital is practically a feasting ground for them now. It happened so quick, damn…." Izaya frowned and opened his mouth to ask a question when a gun was pushed toward him. He glanced down at the small beretta and took hold of the handle slowly. "Don't suppose you know how to use that."
Izaya glanced at him, this soldier was handing him a fucking gun, just how bad was this situation? He couldn't have been out for no more than three days! "I know how to use one, not sure how well my aim is, I've never fired a gun." He wasn't lying about that, he'd handled one, but never fired.
"Good enough, it's going to have to be. Just make sure you aim for the fucking head."
The head? "Why are you," Izaya frowned, looking at the floor, at the two that were already dead. "Why are you killing these people?" he knew it was a stupid question, but he didn't mean it in the context it came out as. What he meant to say, was why are you killing them instead of helping them. "They look-" closing his mouth again, Izaya didn't know what he wanted to say, were they sick, were they even still, 'human?'
"Don't say human, god dammit, they stop being human the moment they come back to life."
Izaya stared at him in surprise, what the hell did that mean? "What?"
The soldier shook his head. "I don't have time to explain yet, if we get out of this hospital alive, then I'll tell you everything."
Izaya couldn't help the fear that crept up his spine, yes, Izaya Orihara was afraid, and who wouldn't be? If, if they got out alive. Fuck. "How many of these-" What were they, was there even a name for them? "Sick people, are there?" yeah, sick people, that was a good name, right?
The soldier almost chuckled. "If you're looking for something to call them, preferably something that sounds more explainable, then I would suggest infected ones." Izaya swallowed the lump in his throat, but he nodded, that certainly made sense, he looked at the bodies again. Infected, a very describable way indeed. He began to follow the soldier down the corridor, they broke into a jog before stopping as they reached a double doorway. Infected with what exactly? If not rabies, then what the fuck was it? "The simpler term?" the soldier turned to him with a tight smile before it dropped from his face and he raised his gun. For a moment, Izaya froze, wondering if the man had decided to shoot him regardless. Izaya gripped the gun he had been given, no way would he be quick enough to fire before the other did.
Suddenly, he was pushed to the side and a gunshot sounded off, Izaya turned just in time to see the bullet break through someone's skull. The body collapsed to the floor, the raven looked at the soldier when he spoke again with another small smile, "Would be a Zombie."