A/N: I'm back! After two years since this story started, I'm finally ready to update more chapters. I hope I'm not too late! I've recently reviewed the previous chapters and there are minor details changed. I will be updating as much as I can. Much love to you all.

Izaya watched the woman stand up and turn to face him. Izaya let out the breath he held because he wasn't entirely sure she was still human until she turned around. Her eyes seemed to widen at the sight of him as though she were surprised to see another alive. Izaya glanced down and could distinguish the name on her blood-covered badge, determining that she was probably the receptionist. "Miss Nanaka? Do you have any injuries?" In other words, were you bitten by a zombie? Izaya watched the woman carefully, not taking any further steps until he knew his answer.

Nanaka shook her head. Her entire body shook, but Izaya couldn't blame her. "Mrs," she corrected.

Izaya raised an eyebrow and bit back the retort he wanted to give. Widowed, more than likely. "Do you have a car?" When Nanaka looked at him with a puzzled expression, Izaya smiled. "No sense in staying here, is there? Wouldn't it make sense to go together?" If the woman thought she was being used, she didn't say anything, and Izaya would allow her to fall into a sense of security if it meant keeping himself alive. And why not? He suspected he wasn't the only one, but since she was human, Izaya wouldn't be so cruel as to purposely throw her to the zombies. There'd be no contest if it came down to her or me. "I was a patient," he told her as he took her hand and helped her step over a corpse. Nanaka looked at him with doubt, but Izaya dismissed her thoughts with a wave. "Don't worry, I was stabbed, not bitten." She seemed skeptical, so Izaya lifted his shirt to show her the bandage.

Nanaka followed Izaya to the hospital's entrance while keeping an eye out for movement. Nanaka glanced around, wondering how things had gotten so bad this quickly.

Izaya turned to her when he realized she had stopped following. "Did you forget something?" Izaya resisted the urge to scoff because what the hell could be so important in a situation like this?

Nanaka turned back to face him. "No, I was just committing this place to memory." She smiled sadly at him and quickly caught up. "If it's still there, my car should be – ah!"

Izaya turned swiftly to see a zombie crashing through the glass doors. Izaya's hand shook around the blade; all confidence left him when he realized he had to get closer to kill the damn thing and wasn't sure he had the guts to do so. Shit. Up until now, Izaya hadn't killed them up close. The zombie shuffled closer and closer, and Izaya took a step back, hesitant in his decision. Is it better to use my gun?

Before Izaya acted, Nanaka raced forward and raised her arms. The zombie let out a screech before falling to the floor. Izaya's eyes widened in surprise. The receptionist just killed a zombie with a fucking scalpel. What kind of receptionist has a scalpel? Nanaka turned back to Izaya, and he chuckled with a small grin. "Lucky me that the soldiers didn't get you." Ah, now there was a nagging debt in his head. He owed her one. Great. Izaya had hoped to avoid that.

Nanaka sighed shakily. "I wasn't sure if that would work. I thought I might be too close and the blade too small, but I used enough force that some of the handle went in too." Izaya huffed a laugh and stepped beside her, trying to hide his lack of understanding of their situation. "Orihara," she said to his surprise.

Izaya smiled almost nervously, wondering if he had messed with her at one point before realizing this was a hospital, and she was a receptionist, so maybe… "Ah, so you know me?"

Nanaka smiled. "I don't always remember everyone's details, but I remembered yours. I remember thinking how unique it was. Izaya Orihara, that's right, isn't it?"

Izaya nodded. "You have a good memory," he commended before they turned to face the chaos awaiting them outside. They could see several bodies strewn about the car park and a few people running away, desperately seeking shelter from the undead chasing them. At one point, a man tripped and was immediately pounced on before being bitten and eaten. Izaya swallowed the bile rising in his throat. A scream was heard before abruptly ending when a body crashed on top of a car, setting off the alarm. Izaya turned to Nanaka when the zombies immediately headed in that direction. "I think that's our cue." Nanaka nodded, and they rushed outside with Izaya holding their only means of defense.

Nanaka pointed left, and they quickly turned to another side car park. "I hope the car still works," she said when they located a blue Avensis verso. Izaya leaned on the car while she looked for her keys, a hand resting on his injury as he watched for zombies.

"Any day now," Izaya muttered while his eyes darted around before seeing two zombies grow bored and stray from the group. Izaya glanced at her when he heard the car's locks.

"Get in!" she shouted and ran for the other side. Izaya didn't need to be told twice and removed his rucksack before quickly tossing it in the back and sitting on the passenger's side. Nanaka and Izaya buckled up, and Nanaka turned the ignition and slammed her foot on the gas pedal. The car sped forward over the curb and across the larger car park. Nanaka gave a short scream when they rammed into a zombie, but before she could slow down, Izaya urged her to continue. The two flinched when Nanaka smashed through the car park's barrier exit before turning swiftly onto the main road that would lead them toward the city streets.

Once they were a safe distance away, Nanaka slowed down. "Is there anywhere specific you wanna head to?" she asked.

Izaya glanced at her before looking ahead. Good question. Izaya frowned in thought. He had no idea what to do in a situation like this, and it only just occurred to him that all his information and knowledge meant absolutely nothing in this world.

"Do you have family anywhere? A place you can go to?"

Izaya sighed at how normal she assumed his life was since he had told her not long ago that he was stabbed. "I own an apartment in Shinjuku, or should I say owned. And if they're still alive, I have twin sisters sixteen years of age." His thoughts drifted to Mairu and Kururi the same way they did back at the hospital. A somewhat grin formed on his face when he said his next words. "Knowing those two, they probably killed each other so they could die together before becoming zombies."

Nanaka gasped and tried to keep her eyes on the road. "That's a horrible thing to say!"

Izaya chuckled and shrugged. "It's true. Either that, or they've somehow used their wits and made a barricaded safe zone for themselves."

Izaya watched her frown. "Somehow I doubt you even care which one is true."

Izaya sighed with a smile. "So you noticed. But don't misunderstand my carelessness toward them because I can assure you that they haven't spared two thoughts about me during the start of the outbreak." Most of that was true, but Izaya wouldn't know how he'd feel if he found out they were dead until it happened, and if he didn't see it happen or didn't find them dead or undead, he could probably brush it off pretty quickly. "What about you?" Even now, excitement still ignited inside him while learning about a new human. "Judging from the size of this car, you must have a family." Izaya glanced in the mirror. "But I don't see any car seats, so that probably rules out kids or at least infants. Although assessing your appearance, you're not that old to have kids older than that, so probably no children. You told me you're married, but I'd probably say newlyweds, maybe a year or less. I don't think a receptionist's salary earns enough to keep this type of vehicle, so it's probably your husband who earns the most. Let's see. Businessmen? Estate broker? A bank manager? Or how about off the charts, and he works overseas?" Izaya watched her posture change after mentioning the latter and grinned. "Bingo. So, you're newlyweds with no kids yet have a family car. One worked as a hospital receptionist, and the other, let's say, still works overseas, assuming he was away when the outbreak started."

Nanaka clutched the wheel tightly. She hadn't said a damn word! "Are you done?"

Izaya grinned. "Yes. So, was I close? Maybe eight out of ten?"

"I don't even know what to say. What the hell did you do for a living?"

Izaya chewed his lip for a moment, not quite able to accept that his world was no more. One day he had cities full of humans to play with and information of all kinds at his disposal, and now, in just five days… Izaya looked at Nanaka. For now, he had one human and next to nothing of knowledge.

All Izaya knew was how the outbreak started.

"Marijuana plants were sold from a local apartment without testing. They were genetically altered and contained alkaloid toxins which manifested into a virus and quickly spread through those who had taken the drugs home. Those who contracted the deadly virus were prone to symptoms of cardiac rates, mydriasis, convulsions, and hallucinations almost immediately and were referred to Sendai hospital.

"Before the virus was known, not all infected received treatment and were foolish enough to take trains or drive to other cities and homes. When the hospital discovered the virus was deadly and caused those who died to reanimate, there was limited time for warnings. A nation broadcast immediately aired to warn those who had taken a sample of a marijuana drug sold to them in Sendai to bury the substance beyond access if untaken.

"If the drug had been taken, you should barricade yourself in your home and report to the authorities.

"Within the first few hours of day five, today, soldiers were sent to Sendai hospital to eliminate any 'survivors,'

"It didn't matter that the soldiers were ordered to the hospital since people had left the city. We got reports from our superiors that the government has fallen from power because of this."

Izaya glanced out the window and briefly wondered whether the one who unknowingly created this virus was still alive. If so, he was one human Izaya did not love and would gladly put a bullet in his skull if they ever crossed paths. Izaya realized he hadn't replied and returned his attention to the woman. "I was an information broker, and I assessed humans as a hobby." Izaya smiled. "I loved them. They were fascinating."

Nanaka shook her head with a frown. "O-kay. Anyway, you said you lived in Shinjuku, if that's where you wanna head to, I can take you there."

Izaya blinked in surprise and glanced at the gas meter. "That's over a four-hour journey."

Nanaka smiled. "We should be good for over half the journey, if not, we can always steal the gas from other abandoned cars or stations."

Izaya grinned. "Ah, you're exactly the type of human who acts so impulsively yet simultaneously pragmatic and that's truly magnificent."

Nanaka took a quick glance at him. "I'm very curious as to why someone stabbed you, and I can't imagine it was random. If you talk this way with everyone, then it's really not a wonder they did it. You're an extremely eccentric man if a little psychotic."

Izaya shrugged. "It's because I love humans," he said as though it were a plausible answer.

Nanaka sighed. "Whatever you say." She turned off the junction and onto a country road. "It's a short cut into the city," she told him.

Izaya leaned forward to play with the bobblehead of what he assumed was a famous baseball player. "If you say so."

Nanaka watched him quizzically; he was unlike anyone she had encountered before, but something told her that a much more dangerous man lay beneath his playful, cheery disposition. She could tell that much by his observation skills and easy admittance of his love for humans, which wasn't normal. Nanaka would only trust him so much. "Do you like baseball, Izaya?"

Izaya leaned back in his seat and chuckled. "Not a bit. The sport - actually, most sports escape me. I know nothing about baseball and don't care much for the rest either."

Nanaka scoffed. "Me either."

Izaya glanced at her. When they first met, Izaya assumed Nanaka was your typical cowardly-type female with zero survival skills and a common everyday human. The moment they stared death in the face, she showed her true colors and became your typical feisty-type female with the survival instincts one wouldn't expect from a receptionist, but given that her husband worked overseas, she could have learned from him depending on what he did. Izaya wondered how many other humans had adapted to their situation as quick as she did. Izaya would even go as far to say that she handled it better than he did, but then he had only woken up five hours ago with no time to adjust.

"You didn't answer my question," Nanaka said after a few minutes of silence. "Do you want to head to Shinjuku? We can part ways there if you want."

Izaya raised an eyebrow, and curiosity got the better of him. "Is that on your way to somewhere?" Izaya grinned when she seemed nervous suddenly. "Somewhere like a safe zone?"

Nanaka gasped. "You know about the safe zone?"

Izaya chuckled. "I do now." Nanaka hunched her shoulders. "Relax. I learned of the safe zone from a former medic who was a soldier scouting the hospital, but up until now, I thought it was a hoax. I'm guessing only a handful of citizens would make it there and that didn't include any of the hospital's patients or staff. I would also make a guess since you know about it, that your husband is probably military, right?" Nanaka sighed with a guilty expression, and Izaya laughed. "Oh, don't feel bad, I wouldn't have told you about it either if I knew for sure. It's a natural human instinct to keep something like that a secret, especially since there's probably a limited number."

Nanaka turned right when she reached a two-way crossing, and the bumpy road became smooth. "The safe zone is more like an evacuation zone. There's a hanger for aircraft in Haneda. I don't know about limited numbers, but I know the preferences aren't a problem."

Izaya's eyes glinted with excitement. "So it's an 'off-the-record plan? No government order? I heard the government fell apart after the order to take down the hospital was made, but I thought there would have been some sort of order before that."

Nanaka didn't want to know why the raven was excited by that fact, but she concluded it probably had something to do with his obsession with humans. "There is military personnel involved, but reporting it would only cause panic and we'd be unable to differentiate the infected and the normal." Nanaka quickly glanced at Izaya, watching as he rubbed his injured side absentmindedly. "You could come with me. I have to gather supplies at my house, and we can still try and stop in Shinjuku if you wanted."

Izaya laughed dryly. "I doubt there's anything left worth salvaging for this world." Izaya didn't want to work cohesively with this human for such a lengthy period, but what else could he do? He had no idea how far the virus had spread, and if it had spread to his city and Ikebukuro, what would be the point in staying there? I might as well go where I can still interact with my humans.

"Just so we're clear, and I think you'll agree. I won't risk my life to save you. We're a team as far as life or death goes. If a zombie attacks you, you're on your own."

Izaya wasn't the slightest bit concerned about her statement and grinned. "Likewise. It's basic survival instincts."