The further from the center he got, the more undamaged the buildings were. Heavy fog hid Izuku quite nicely, but so it did for the enemies
He had to rely on his hearing quite a lot, just as those creatures.
Speaking about those creatures…
With his giant claws, Izuku impaled the creature in front of him that tried to bite him. Its jaw was noticeably big, and big sharp teeth were trying to reach the boy. Black tendrils shot in its body, impaling it and dragging it right into Izuku's body.
"AAARrgg…aarg!"
It is the third one so far.. Izuku had yet to return his emotions, which meant that he didn't feel bad for killing them.
He turned the claws off and tried to feel any changes in his body. The quirk was quite weak –those big teeth weren't that good. At least, absorbing those things increases his overall strength.
Once again, the memories were damaged. The man was working in a office, and the glimpses of his life looked uninteresting.
Killing them was easy, but they made way too much noise.
'It might be dangerous'
Suddenly, Izuku heard something. He sharply turned to the direction of the sound origin, only to find some bricks falling from a building.
He narrowed his eyes – he felt like he was being watched by…something.
Izuku tried to ignore the feeling and continued on his way through the city.
'Biohazard warning.'
A destroyed concrete barricade was barely blocking the road. Izuku narrowed his lifeless eyes on it and looked back, to where the city center should be.
'I should be close, then'
No one would put the signs too close to the center of the danger.
He continued on his way.
Shrieks and groans became rare, and mostly somewhere far. These creatures had a nice sight, but obviously were attracted mostly to sound – explosions, falling buildings and so on.
There, on the edge of the city, there was little to attract their attention. Which was the reason why a lone human-like creature was banging on a door of someone's home was so noticeable to the boy.
Izuku crouched and tried to go unnoticed behind a few cars. He could see nicely in the dark, so he avoided all the objects on the ground that could make too much noise.
The creature broke the door, and he heard someone's scream that quickly disappeared.
At that moment, something clicked in Izuku's head. He stood up, forming the claws on his hands on the way to the creature that tried to get through the door. It didn't notice Izuku yet.
Time to change that, then.
Izuku slightly leaned his body and started scratching the road on the way, creating a rather unpleasant sound.
The creature reacted, turned to Izuku and started running towards him. When it was close, Izuku impaled it with his claws, just like he did with the last one, but the neck of the creature lengthened and he managed to bite off a part of Izuku's shoulder.
Izuku's returned the favor as he forced his impaled hand up, splitting the creature in two and absorbing it into his body with black tendrils. He glanced at his injured shoulder, only to find it already healed.
A new set of broken memories distracted Izuku from his shoulder, but he quickly discarded them. They were useless anyway.
The creature's quirk was an ability to stretch their limbs. With a mental signal, Izuku's claws disappeared, but the hand didn't return its normal color – he just changed the claws quirk to the stretching quirk.
Izuku took one of his hands with another one and pulled. Instead of tearing his arm off, the hand only became longer.
'Might be useful'
Turning off the black flesh of his arms, he approached the home where he heard a scream.
He knocked on the broken door that stood close to the broken frame. The entrance was barricaded.
"Hello?"
Nobody answered.
"Anyone here? I dealt with that thing"
No answer yet.
"I'll be going then. Sorry for disturbing."
"Wait!"
Izuku stopped. The barricade made from furniture started to move, and woman's face appeared from behind it. She looked to be in her earlier thirties.
Seeing a normal face awakened something in Izuku. The freezing feeling disappeared, and life return to his face. Izuku had no idea how this freezing feeling worked, how it turned on and off. But one thing was certain.
The emotions returned.
"Thank you for dealing with that thing" The woman expressed her gratitude, though still a bit wary of Izuku. "We are lucky it didn't have a strong quirk, or we would be dead"
Izuku glanced at her.
'We?'
Somewhat unsure smile appeared on Izuku's face as he tried to ignore the fact that he killed one of those poor souls once again. Once the emotions returned, he couldn't help but feel bad.
"Y-you are welcome"
He didn't move towards the barricade to not scare this woman. Izuku was sleeping through whatever happened here, but obviously she wasn't. She went through this all.
Izuku's eyes expressed worry, but he couldn't help but ask her one simple thing.
"Um…Can you tell me what happened around here?"
Woman's eyes slightly widened, but then she narrowed them.
"W-What do you mean?"
Izuku looked around in case a new creature appeared.
"I…I kinda slept through everything?"
Woman stood agape for a moment.
"Slept…through…"
Izuku nodded, understanding her confusion. The woman shook her head.
'He saved us but…he still might be dangerous. Even if he is just a kid'
She looked back into the house. At someone hiding bellow a table.
'But at the same time…he saved us. He didn't force himself into the house and almost left. I guess I'll risk this time…though I still need to be cautious.'
The woman sighed.
"Come inside"
Izuku looked around. Everything was lit by candles, but he could see a violet light behind one of the doors.
He was really glad that the desire to absorb the creatures wasn't working right now.
The woman led him to a dining room when someone blocked their way.
"Who are you?!"
"Shhh! Hana, don't be so loud!" The woman tried to shout while whispering.
A girl in slightly dirty dress stood in the hallway, as if protecting the room from Izuku. Her expression was full of confidence, and she even breathed out some smoke from her nose, which added to her terrifying presence.
Izuku smiled softly.
"I'm Midoriya Izuku. And you?"
"Ha-! Hana" the girl almost shouted again.
"Hana is my daughter" The woman turned to Izuku, and then back to the girl.
'I don't want him next to her. I can protect myself, but she can't'
"Go to your room for a few minutes. Quietly."
The girl sighed, and she breathed out some smoke.
"Yes mom"
"Tea?"
"No, thanks."
The woman nodded and got a cup for herself.
"So…Midoriya Izuku."
"Well…that's my name. I think"
Woman sipped her tea with a raised eyebrow.
"You think?"
"That's somehow connected to me sleeping through everything."
"Well then, supposedly Izuku Midoriya. My name is Izumi Oogawa. Nice to meet you, I guess. Thank you for dealing with that carrier."
"Carrier?"
The woman took another sip.
"You really don't know anything, do you?"
Izuku only shook his head.
"I…don't remember anything. I-I just woke up in a home with no memories. I only knew that my name was Izuku Midoriya, and that I wanted to become a hero, and even that came to me when I looked into a mirror"
The woman slightly widened her eyes.
"Everything was dark, so I assumed it was a night outside. When I got out, I was met by…ruins. Everywhere." Izuku accessed the memories of the first creature he killed. "I only know about red…red something that started not so long ago."
"That must be red flue."
Izuku looked at her, expecting a continuation.
"It happened…maybe 4 days ago. As you must have noticed, it is quite hard to track time here. All of a sudden, a lot of military started flying around with helicopters and jets. Some heavy machinery put the biohazard barricades everywhere they could, not letting any cars to move. Everyone was mostly confused. The radio and TV told everyone to stay home while those bastards from the government were doing something around the city. But then…they came."
"Those human-like creatures? And what do you mean by stressing this 'then'"
"They were called carriers. They were infected with some red parasites that takes over neural system. But to not cause panic among those who had yet to encounter the carriers the parasite was called a red flue. And by focusing so much on 'then'…Well, think about, Midoriya. Military appears, starts to block the city, tried to calm down everyone while they are sealing everyone inside and only THEN – sorry, I'm a little loud – only then the threat starts to appear. The government responded way too quickly, don't you think? And they didn't stop there."
"The construction that blocks the sky?"
Izumi nodded with frustration on her face.
"It was during the first evening – mostly done by Cementos and his hero agency, with help of the most of heroes, I-Island and military orgs from the closest countries. Everyone responded so quickly. It is a dome that seals the entire city in case the parasite can spread through air."
"Wait, wait, you said heroes helped to build it?"
"They helped to get people on the other side, obviously, but mostly stayed away from the places where the parasite was strong…"
"But why?"
"They aren't immune to it. Imagine one of those creatures will Allmight's or Endeavor power"
Izuku felt a shiver running down his spine.
"But…how can you get infected with this thing?"
"I…I don't know, really" Izumi answered. "Through bites? Air? And body liquid? Scatches? There should be some form of a contact, obviously."
Izuku's eyes were widening with every word.
"W-wait, how long does it take to, you know, turn into a carrier once you get infected?"
Izumi's eyes narrowed at Izuku.
"Why do you ask? Did that thing got you?"
Izuku hesitated to answer.
"Y-yes, it did. I don't want to put you in a risk, so I'll leave then"
Izumi sighed when Izuku stood up.
'Huh, that was quite fast. I think I can trust him a bit more" she thought.
"Wait. It takes from seconds to a few minutes, from what I know. If you feel perfectly fine…then I guess your quirk helps you fight the parasite. That's also possible."
Izuku sighed in relief. That actually could be true – with the ability to absorb those creatures, clearly his organism was stronger that the parasite. The first contact – the first absorbed carrier – was hours ago.
"How do you know all of this?" Izuku couldn't help but to ask.
She showed him her phone.
"Social media, duh. People wrote about it everywhere. There's no connection now, though."
Izuku covered his face in thoughts.
"Well…since you know so much…Can I ask you a question?"
"You can, but be ready not to receive an answer."
"You told me about those carriers – people that are infected. But do you know something about…I didn't think of a name. They looked just like carriers, but had large boils, much larger than those that carriers have. One of their arms is broken, and is mostly replaced by one big limb with meaty claws. Carriers have differences, mostly based on their quirks. Those, on the other hand, looked very similar to each other. How do I put it…You can differentiate one carrier from another, but it's hard to do the same with those bulkier, strange carriers with claws."
The woman stopped drinking her tea.
"I…You gave a good description if they are really so similar to each other, but I don't know. I never saw one like the one you described."
"That's…bad"
"U-huh."
"The parasite couldn't mutate so fast, could it?"
"How would I know it?"
Izuku looked directly in Izumi's eyes.
"You can't stay here. If those things evolve so fast, who knows what will happen next time they see you."
"Don't worry, I'll beat them." Izumi patted her bicep with a forced grin. Izuku wasn't convinced.
"I can't leave you here! Why didn't you beat the one at the entrance, then? I had to take care of him."
"The bastard kept stretching like damn rubber. Wherever I hit him his limbs would just return to normal in seconds."
"Even then, how-"
"Midoriya, I worked with harsh environments. Survival was literally my job. I already have a room with ultra-violet lamps ready to help me grow food. The local stores still have some food in water in them. There's still electricity. We will wait this out."
"Even then, I can't leave you here! I saved you from that carrier, but if you stay here, that it means that my work isn't done. I will help you. I-I mean, think about it! They closed the sky in case the parasite can spread through air. The water sources are next, right? If they haven't cut them off already. The water in stores will end at some point. You won't be able to grow anything then-"
"Stop" Izumi's hands were shaking. "What do you propose we do, then? The streets might look empty, but it is only because most of the carriers is either deep in the city or at the exits which are heavily guarded by military. And make no fucking mistake, those places are crowded with carriers. I'm sure of it. You want me to lead my daughter to certain death? I might get to the military since I have a strengthening quirk, and I will also assume that you can get through. But my daughter has a fire breathing quirk, damn it, and she didn't train it at all."
Izuku wanted to respond, but was at loss. She had a point, staying there could potentially help them with staying alive but it was…temporary.
"So, um…what if we make a hole in the dome?"
"You are joking, right?!"
"No, no! I-I may not look like much, but I'm strong. Like, really strong. I once accidently tore a lid from a trunk of an abandoned car, and I barely even felt it in my single hand…and, well, I accidently threw a car into a building? And I have these…"
Izuku turned the claws on, startling the woman by their size.
"With the strength and those claws, the cutting power should be gigantic."
"You still don't understand what's wrong, right?"
"Eh?"
Izumi finally finished her cup of tea.
"Midoriya, there is a reason why this concrete wall was built. I might be – quite rightfully – mad at them for sealing my daughter and me inside, but I do understand why it was built in the first place."
She was right, of course.
Damn it! Why everything had to be so hard! He couldn't leave them with the stretching carrier banging on their door – he had to help them. And now he felt the same – he couldn't abandon them. Leaving them there would certainly mean their death!
He wanted to become a hero, damn it! What kind of hero leaves people to die?!
The chilling feeling returned, and calmed Izuku once again. Damn it, it was useful, even if he didn't understand it at all.
Another strange part of his quirk.
Izuku narrowed his eyes and looked at Izumi again.
"Then…how about this. I make a hole in the dome, and let you two escape. You will warn the military on the other side about the hole. At the same time, I will stay near the hole, and seal it with every debris I can find and stay there until the military arrives. I will make sure nothing will get through it."
Izumi tried to sip her tea, but the cup was empty.
"You really can't let us stay here, can you?"
Izuku smiled at the woman.
"Of course! What kind of hero will leave people to die when he can help them?"
The woman chuckled sadly.
"The ones that are outside that dome"
"Well…I'm still inside, right?"
The woman smiled and closed her eyes.
"Right."
They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments until Izumi finally broke it.
"Fine. Your win. Give me some time to prepare."
When Izumi left, Izuku sat down on a floor of the dining room, close to some candles.
At this point, his weapons were the tendrils, the claws, the sharp teeth which were a joke, and his own strength. What he was interested, however, was the stretching quirk.
There should be a way to use them with other quirks.
Izuku sat down, and tried to reach his body through his mind. He started to imagine it.
Blades of the claws. Power of his body. Tendrils. Stretching quirk. Combined together for a bigger efficiency and longer range.
And...success.
Izuku opened his eyes and stared at his arm.
Just as always when turning them on, the arm had a layer of black flesh on it. The fingers were replaced by three blades, made for grabbing from big distances. Izuku pulled the arm with another one, stretching it.
'I'll name it The Whip'