Izaya wondered how many cities had been affected by the virus. It seemed like it spread substantially in such a short time. Ikebukuro and Shinjuku, his beloved cities. He wondered who was still alive, who was dead, and who was undead. With a frown, Izaya sighed and turned on the radio to see if maybe someone was still broadcasting. Izaya fiddled with the dial for a few seconds, but all he seemed to receive was static. "Ah, there we go," he said when a voice spoke.

{Stay indoors, don't go outside…all control has been lost…they won't stop coming. It's out of control…I think most cities in Japan have been infected…few survivors remain…do not attempt to fight them…avoid them at all costs…do not attempt to escape your own city. All travel has been stopped, but…we don't yet know if the virus is detained in our country…no one is coming to aid us… we're all alone… it's a catastrophic horror…It doesn't look like there's an end soon, and – huh? Oh shit… they're – they're breaking into the – oh my god…}

Izaya's eyes widened.

{No, stay away! Ah! Ahhhhh!}

Izaya cringed at the noises. He could practically hear the man getting eaten by those things. Izaya quickly switched the radio off. Most cities have been infected. Izaya's grip on the wheel tightened when he realized that he might be one of the only remaining survivors. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He couldn't afford to doubt so early on. "I'll find a way to survive, just like I always do. If I can get to the evacuation site in Haneda, I'm positive things will be fine. I'm sure there are others." Since junior high, Izaya had been infatuated with humans, and being the only surviving human scared him more than he'd like to admit. Izaya didn't care if he found a bunch of humans he didn't even know. That had never bothered him before. He just needed to get to Haneda. Izaya had already accepted that half of who he knew was probably already dead, and that might sound cruel, but better he prepared himself that way to avoid surprises. Izaya didn't even think there was a single person he might care about if they were infected. Maybe Shinra, and his sisters, though he wasn't sure about them yet.

As far as Izaya was concerned, they were all dead.

"I have to think logically. It doesn't matter who's alive. Humans are still humans."

Izaya glanced down at his injury and pressed a hand against it. Pain throbbed around the wound, and Izaya knew it was probably still bleeding thanks to that attack at Nanaka's house. Izaya wondered why on earth her husband would take the damn drug. "He probably didn't know about the effects." How could he not? Surely, by the time he smoked the damn thing, word had already spread about what it did to people. "Maybe he thought Nanaka was dead, so what did he have to lose?" Izaya snorted. You'd think a soldier would be tougher to not want to end their life just because their spouse was dead. "The least he could have done was kill himself the normal way." There was no way of knowing why it happened, but they were both dead now, and Izaya refused to ponder the matter further. Izaya hadn't ruled out suicide, but it would be a last resort.

Izaya glanced at the clock. He was only halfway to his next destination, and, looking at the gas gauge, it was a risk to keep driving without topping up. Izaya wondered which city to pass through first. Shinjuku was probably safer since most people he knew lived in Ikebukuro, and if someone like Shizuo or Simon were infected, then it was only logical to avoid them. If he did drive to Shinjuku first, he'd have to double back since he would pass through Ikebukuro anyway. "What do I really need there? If it's still all there, my stuff is in Shinjuku…." Izaya chuckled. "I guess I'm just curious about the survivors. I must be insane. I'd really like to see how many of those I know would survive in such a world. It actually excites me to see if their friendships were as strong as they thought." Izaya grinned. "I doubt Shizu-chan survived too long with his temper." Izaya laughed. "He's so abrasive that he probably drew them right toward him. Mikado, Masaomi, and Anri. What was your first reactions I wonder? Did your bond get stronger, or did you realize that love triangle of yours weighed you down, so you bailed on each other! Perhaps you even killed one another!" Izaya's laugh changed to a chuckle. "So many scenarios. I can't determine which one I like the most."

…

Calming down from his little fantasies, Izaya slowed the car when he reached a small intersection, and with a frown, he turned the vehicle into a gas station with hopes the pumps still worked. Izaya stopped the car at the nearest pump, cut the engine, and waited. Izaya took a deep breath before slowly opening the door and quietly stepping out, pulling the knife acquired from the hospital's cafeteria as he did so. Izaya was thankful for the daylight; he much preferred the idea of fighting those things during the day.

Currently, he was nearing Shirakawa. Izaya had only been here once or twice, but there was another convenience store and, if he remembered, a hotel. Not the best of places to rest, but Izaya would take his chances if it would get him off the streets for a while. Izaya didn't want to be one of those who relied on movies or series to survive. He didn't want to believe his situation was exactly the same, and therefore, places like hotels and schools weren't safe.

It was quiet, and Izaya couldn't tell if that was a good thing. The raven decided to check his surroundings first before checking the pumps. He'd rather not be surprised by an infected human while filling his car. A small convenience store was opposite, which meant the gas access wasn't restricted to money insertion. Izaya slowly scanned the area, keeping his steps light and his knife poised. The store's windows had been shattered, and when Izaya peered inside, he could see the store's wreckage. The store had clearly been looted, which didn't give Izaya much hope for how far the virus had spread. I must have been delusional to think even for a second that it hadn't reached my city yet. Izaya carefully stepped into the store, avoiding the glass shards as much as possible. The guy on the radio had said most cities had been infected, but for a split moment, Izaya wanted him to be wrong. Glancing behind to check his car, he searched the shelves for anything useful. His pack's contents would last roughly four days if he limited his consumption. Not exactly a stable supply. There were a few tins of beans, corn, and three noodle pots. Not too bad. Unfortunately, there were no water bottles left. However… Izaya smiled when he spotted two cans of iced coffee.

When Izaya gathered his findings and deemed the store empty, he headed back to the car with relief.

Placing the newfound items into his rucksack, Izaya began to check the pumps. I do love it when things go my way. It felt strange to fill the car with the remaining gas and not pay, and Izaya wondered briefly what happened to the store's clerk.

Izaya retreated inside the car and rolled out of the station. A few miles from here and he would reach the hotel within Shirakawa. He was prepared to meet mostly infected humans there and would only rest for a few hours if only to redress his wound. An hour or two of sleep would be nice, but Izaya didn't have much hope for that.

…

When Izaya reached the city, he stopped the car beside a corner shop to figure out the best route to the hotel. The eerie silence started to unnerve him. Why had he not encountered any zombies since leaving Nanaka's house?

Izaya drove on and turned when the hotel sign came into view. He parked the car inside the hotel's car park on the lowest level. He walked cautiously with his pack securely on his back and began to grow suspicious. Sendai hospital and parts of the city had almost been overrun, yet there were hardly any to be seen now. "Could they really be hiding from the daylight?" He had only half-pondered the thought and never thought it could be true. His theories of ignoring whatever movies had taught him were proving to be wrong.

Izaya stepped toward the car park exit but froze when he heard a groan. Turning around, he saw one shuffling out from behind a column. Izaya stepped back slowly with determination to see if he was right. The information would help increase his survival odds, but it was risky. What if the damn thing was fast like that aggressor? No, it didn't look like an aggressor. The decay was far too advanced. You could barely tell it used to be human anymore. "Come on," Izaya goaded quietly. "You're hungry, right?" Izaya wasn't sure where this bravery came from suddenly but figured adrenaline was partially responsible. Izaya stepped back again and waited until the zombie was almost in front of him before jumping back far enough into the sunlight when it suddenly tried to attack him.

Izaya watched it give a low shriek before retreating quickly into the darkness. "Now I really wish I hadn't parked inside," he muttered. Izaya pulled his knife from his jacket and raised it by the blade with a concentrated frown. "Sorry, but when it gets dark, who knows where you'll end up, and right now, you're blocking the way to my car." Izaya threw the knife with quick precision, and the blade pierced directly through the zombie's skull. Izaya retrieved his knife with a grimace and headed toward the hotel's entrance with his pack. Izaya stepped toward the doors and hesitated. This probably isn't one of my best ideas, but it's not like there's a permanent safe place that's easily accessible. Izaya took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the bloody knife as he slowly stepped through the doors.

There are a lot of windows in this hotel, so I hope the infected are smart enough to avoid this building. Izaya sighed. They're probably all lurking in the damn car park. Izaya walked toward the reception desk. The area was littered with clothing and bags, dropped by people rushing to safety, prioritizing their lives over belongings. Izaya stepped around the mess, noting that a few bullet shells were scattered near the desk. So far, safety seemed certain. Izaya stepped behind the desk and picked the few key cards left. I wonder if they'll work. Thankfully, the numbers were close together.

Izaya froze when he reached the first corridor of rooms. Blood smeared the walls, and four bodies lay mutilated in dysfunctional positions. "Shit…" He hesitated to continue, but bodies should be expected anywhere you went, and Izaya figured he would have to get used to it. Whoever they were, they were definitely dead. Izaya stepped between the corpses and couldn't stop his heart from racing, imagining at least one of them grabbing his ankle.

Izaya reached the end and turned to back against the wall with a sigh. "I should pull myself together. Surely Shizu-chan is a bigger monster, and I fought him countless times." Somewhere deep inside, Izaya knew he was wrong. Not even Shizuo could be compared to these grotesque, flesh-eating monsters.

"Help me!"

Izaya jumped and quickly pushed away from the wall, his heart thudding painfully now.

"Oh, please help me!"

Izaya saw a man running toward him and frowned before his eyes widened when he spotted what chased the terrified male.

Chasing.

Almost human.

It was an aggressor.

Izaya gasped when the thing practically lunged for the man, pinning him to the floor before pulling at his limbs. The man screamed in agony as his arms were torn from his body. Izaya bolted down the corridor before it had a chance to notice him and turned swiftly before dashing up the stairs. Three flights of stairs wouldn't be a problem; his parkour skills would ensure that he didn't have to come back the same way.

Izaya swallowed the bile rising in his throat when he thought about what happened as he stepped through the door above the stairs. "Can't flake now…." Izaya moved down the corridor, glancing at the door numbers to find those that matched his cards. "405," he muttered. "Maybe it's a sign." Izaya almost laughed. He didn't believe in signs. He had been stabbed on his birthday and woke up in an apocalyptic world, and now he was about to enter a hotel room with the numbers matching his birthday. "Just an unlucky coincidence." Izaya inserted the card into the reader, and it turned green. Slowly, he pushed the handle and opened the door.

Suddenly, a low groan reached his ears, and Izaya's hand gripped the handle. The noise sounded way too close. Izaya swallowed dryly and took a shuddery breath before finding one shuffling from the open-door opposite. Izaya raised the knife and aimed it for the skull like the one in the car park. I should really acquire some throwing knives. Izaya bent down and pulled the blade from the collapsed zombie, but a sudden noise caused him to quickly snap his head up. Izaya gasped when another shuffled faster toward him, and he stumbled to his feet to reach the open door of his chosen room. As he turned to shut the door, the infectious monster thudded against it, snapping its teeth at him. Izaya pushed forward with struggling movements. His arm came to brace against the wall while his other pushed against the door with his right leg. Izaya could feel his injury pull with the pressure, causing him to almost lose balance. "Come on," he implored with gritted teeth. Izaya shifted slightly to switch the knife to the hand braced against the wall, but a cry of agony escaped his lips before he could make the switch. Izaya almost blacked out, but sheer desperation made him step back, and he plunged the knife into the skull. The pressure lifted from the door, and Izaya hastily pulled the blade back and finally got the door shut.

Izaya's breathing labored as he collapsed back against the bedpost. "Fuck!" Tears sprung to his eyes as he threw off his rucksack, jacket and shirt to reveal torn skin and bloodied marks. "This can't be happening…."

The fucking thing bit him.