'Where's the bathroom, dammit,' he thought to himself. It was so dark that Bakugou couldn't read the signs above them. He was hoping to just stumble across the corridor that led to the bathroom, but his depth perception seemed to be off. Not to mention the fact that everything seemed to have a dark shadow cast over it, and any movement that went by was startling.
He was damn near ready to take a piss in a corner before he heard the sound of white static in the distance. He turned his head, wondering where the noise was coming from. It was loud, loud enough to draw the attention of a few infected nearby, but Bakugou was just starting to hear it. Someone had just turned it on.
"Shitty Deku," he mumbled under his breath, angrily stomping in the direction of the noise. He swore she wanted to die, drawing attention to herself like that.
He heard the sound of a knife cutting through flesh. He began to run, worried about Midoriya. She never used a knife to kill one of them before. It couldn't possibly be easier than using a blunt object, what is she missed? He rounded the corner, gun raised ready to defend her, then he froze.
She was infected.
There she lay, on the ground, a bite mark embedded in her neck, and a thin slice through the middle of her forehead. She looked shocked, milky green staring ahead of her like she couldn't believe she died either. There was a dark figure standing, blood dripping from their knife as they looked at him. He couldn't tell what they looked like, all he could decipher was the deep anger boiling within him. It wasn't his usual anger, no, the anger he felt was painful. It felt like his ears were going to burst, his heart was going to explode, and his muscles were going to cramp endlessly. The figure smiled.
"Your next."
Bang!
His eyes burst open, cascading the darkness in alert. He was breathing fast. His heart was racing, pounding in his ears. He felt pressure lift from his shoulder and a soft yawn to his left.
"Kacchan?" Midoriya said softly. He could just barely see the outline of her hair, the darkness, wild curls everywhere. "Get back on the couch. You don't want to open your wound again." He didn't say anything. Instead, his eyes continued to search her face in the darkness, her neck too. That seemed to wake her up more, who reached for a spare candle they had and lit it. Orange reflected in her jade eyes, warmth covering her pale skin. There was no blood, no knife wound, no bite.
He looked away, his cheeks turning red. He was staring for too long, something Midoriya seemed to notice as her cheeks turned red. He was disheveled, his nightmare getting the best of him. It was only a bad dream, but it felt so real.
Part of it was real. When he randomly heard the radio as he looked for the bathroom. When he assumed it was Midoriya, damn near ready to chew her ear out over it, only to see that it wasn't her when he got there. It was someone else, someone a bit older than him, who had a machete. When Bakugou came out of the shadows, they attacked him, slicing at his stomach. He managed to jump far enough to only be grazed, staggering away from the attacker. The attacker seemed to notice he was human too and stood frozen for a moment. He raised his machete in the air, aiming for Midoriya's head, then turned at the sound of something crashing. There were moans, the infected nearby moving towards the sound. The attacker followed, as if on a mission. Bakugou was stunned, wondering where the sound came from and if it was Midoriya. Before he could stop himself, he started looking for her.
He ran mindlessly down the aisles, looking for any sign of the greenette. The groans of the infected didn't help. As he approached and took down two, he stopped to take a breath. The attacker had to be relatively close to where they were, but he couldn't see her anywhere. There was nothing for her to hide behind, so where was she.
He continued forward, sprinting and analyzing every shadow, contemplating where she may be hiding, if he should call out her name. He didn't want to give her position away if she was hiding from the attacker. He gripped at his side, trying to ignore the pain flaring from his wound. If he didn't find her first, would she be dead?
There was movement at the end of one aisle, and then a scream. He didn't waste any time rushing to help her. At first, he thought the attacker was on her, but then he realized it was just an infected. He took the knife she had dropped and stabbed it in the back of its head, steadying her when she almost fell back. So many thoughts had gone through his head that he couldn't register her gratitude or worry. He just wanted to leave to get back to his house as soon as possible.
He didn't know if he should tell her or not. It wasn't like they knew the person, it was someone completely random, which was what was startling. He was attached with no hesitation, no intent. It was almost like the person was trying to kill him for the fun of it. With people like that out there, it makes him more worried to go out. What if the attacker had gotten to Midoriya first. She would have definitely been hurt much more severely than him. She was struggling to take out an infected, how was she going to take out a person without his help…
He didn't want to think about it. The idea of killing living people, people surviving like him, hadn't been thought of until he was attacked. Even when they were leaving the school, he never thought of killing a single one of them there. The thought may have crossed their mind–it definitely felt like it had crossed their mind to him–but it hadn't crossed his, and he knew for a fact it never crossed Midoriya's either. So how was he going to tell her that she might have to kill someone if it meant she lived?
"Does your side hurt?" Midoriya asked suddenly, pulling him out of his thoughts. She was scratching the back of her head again. It registered that she was nervous, that he was making her uncomfortable before any response came to mind.
He scoffed, turning the radio up as if it would drown her presence away. It didn't. If anything he could feel her eyes burn into the side of his head. He ignored the urge to glare at her.
"What happened when you left?" she quietly asked. He pretended like he couldn't hear her over the radio. A pout setting on her lips, she pointed at the radio. "Nothing's being broadcasted." He gave her his best 'are-you-fucking-kidding-me-right-now' face. She yelped and turned away from him.
"The radio at the school was working fine until the power went out because it needed to be plugged into a wall. This is a battery-powered radio, so I thought it would be helpful in case the military broadcasts something, but all it's been far is a fucking piece of garbage," he explained.
"If we hear anything, what will we do?" she asked. He honestly didn't have an answer. He didn't know whether a broadcast would be from the military base their parents were or from another. He didn't want to waste time going to places where their parents weren't, the more time they spent away from them the less of a chance they'd see them again.
"Don't know," he said curtly. "Go back to sleep, I don't feel like talking." Like always, he sounded meaner than he meant to be. He didn't ignore the pained expression that crossed Midoriya's face or the way she seemed to give in to his command without much resistance.
Once she was settled and not moving, he laid a blanket on top of her. She wasn't sleeping, he could tell by the way she was breathing. She looked just as lost in thought as he was, but he didn't feel emotionally capable of asking her what she was thinking about. He was still processing the grocery, his dream, the stress he was feeling from trying to make it to the next day. He didn't know if they were going to go out tomorrow because of his injury. He hoped they would because he was trying to leave as soon as possible and he didn't want his pain to be a hindrance.
He closed his eyes, willing for his brain to shut down. It didn't, he didn't get a wink of sleep. Instead, he listened to the calm breathing from Midoriya, who seemed to have managed to make herself fall asleep again.
They waited a few days before they went to the gunshop. Midoriya decided it would be best to lay low for a few days. Mainly because of Bakugou's injury, but also because she knew he was paranoid about something. He'd always been great at keeping secrets from her, especially when it came to his wellbeing. She knew his side hurt, and she wished he would sit and heal rather than work endlessly at searching houses for food, but he did the latter. She wanted to yell at him to stop, but she knew he wouldn't listen. Bakugou never listened to her.
The gunshop was a few miles from where Bakugou lived. They had to hijack a neighbor's car to get there. Midoriya didn't even know Bakugou knew how to break into someone's car, then start it until he did just that rather bashfully. All she could do was blink in astonishment and he reversed the car and drove it down the road. She wondered if he was speeding because he didn't know how to use the gas pedals, or because there were no police to stop him. They arrived at the gun shop rather quickly because of Bakugou's amazing driving skills.
"Do you think there's anything left?" she asked. He shrugged his shoulders, getting out of the car. They were the ones who decided to wait a week during a national crisis for more weapons, so the shop was bound to be raided. Maybe there were some hunting knives left, maybe a small handgun if they were lucky. There might not be a lot of ammo left, but they would take what they could.
Midoriya followed Bakugou into the gun shop, stunned at the looted display tables. There were random bullets littered all over the floor, as well broken glass from display cases being broken into. She could hear Bakugou growl in annoyance before he jumped over the counter, looking behind and in the register. He gestured for her to come over.
"Use this instead of the pocket knife we found the other day," he said. He handed her a hunting knife. She pulled it out of its leather casing, gripping the wooden handle with ease. It felt better than the pocket knife, not as compact in her hand. It was heavy though. She wasn't sure if that was going to help her or not. She thanked Bakugou and then continued to look around the display area of the shop. She always made sure Bakugou was within her sight. She didn't want him to get hurt again.
She noticed that there were gun parts in some of the display cases, as well as gun and knife holsters. With her new hunting knife, she used the butt of the blade to break the display case. She stepped back when the glass broke, protecting her eyes from any stray pieces.
"Deku?" she heard. She turned to Bakugou, smiling sheepishly and letting him know she was okay before looking back at the display case. She grabbed the knife holster, tying it around her waist. Luckily, her knife seemed to fit. Having the holster was so much better than holding the knife in her hand. She grabbed the gun holster to give to Bakugou. Maybe it would be useful for him too.
She found him by a window at the front of the store, seemingly distracted by something. She tried to find what he was looking at, but couldn't see anything. That was the third time he had done that since they left. Something was bothering him.
"Kacchan," she said gently, her hand touching his arm gently. He flinched from her touch, taking a step back.
"What?" he asked sharply. She ignored his harsh tone and handed him the gun holster. He took it without hesitation and tied it around his hip. He seemed pleased with what she found, and that made a small smile appear on her lips.
"Did you find anything?"
"Hmm," he hummed. "There were two boxes of bullets for the handgun the officer had, and I found a Glock for you, but it didn't have as many bullets." He let her hold the gun he found for her. It was heavy and big, her hand could barely wrap around the whole handle. It felt awkward holding, and Bakugou had to actually adjust her grip so she was holding it somewhat right.
"Are you sure this is the best idea?" she saw him, her shoulders slumping forward. She wanted to trust him, but this decision seemed too drastic. Before, he made it sound like a suggestion to use a gun, but now it felt more like he was pushing her to learn it. Like she needed it to survive.
Bakugou grabbed one of the practice dummy posters from the wall and hung it up. He loaded her magazine with ten bullets, then handed her the gun and earplugs.
"This button releases the magazine. When you insert the magazine, make sure you hear a click to know it's in there. Cock the gun back, aim, breath, then shoot," he explained, showing her every step–except the shooting–before releasing the magazine again and letting her do it herself. She followed every step to the best of her ability, only faltering when it came to aiming. She couldn't exactly tell where she was aiming. Without meaning to, she let out a bullet and squeaked in shock.
"Relax. Go again," he said. Surprisingly enough, he didn't sound annoyed, in fact, he sounded amused. When she raised her gun to aim, he snaked his arms around her and fixed her mistakes. He bent her arms, repositioned her hands, and helped steady her gun. With his hands on top of hers, he rested his head on her shoulder, then squinted. "Breath."
Bang!
It wasn't bullseye, but it at least hit a body part. Her eyes widened, a smile stretching on her face. To actually hit her target felt amazing, exhilarating even. She turned to look at Bakugou, then almost choked on her own spit. His face was so close. Their noses were almost touching, their eyes linked to one another. She hadn't realized that his hands were still wrapped around hers, that to get so good of a shot, he had to steady her hands with his own. He wasn't letting go, which was so unlike him, but she wasn't complaining.
"Good job," he whispered, sounding out of breath. He let go of her hands slowly, as if he didn't want to, before clearing his throat and gesturing for her to shoot again.
Without his help, her shots were nowhere near as on point, but it was better than the first shot. He gave her some tips on how to aim better, and by the tenth shot, she was at least hitting a body part. It wasn't the part she was aiming for, but a body part nonetheless.
They ended up with the bullets Bakugou found plus a few more hidden in a cabinet, the holsters, and a few knives they found that hadn't been taken yet. The ride back home was quiet, more peaceful than the first. Bakugou wasn't speeding down the road, probably because there were so many different infected in the way. She was honestly surprised he didn't run them over.
When they got close to Midoriya's block she asked him to stop the car. There was something she needed to get, something very important to her. Over the last few days, she has been thinking about the blockade around her block, and about how she and Bakugou were searching people's houses for goods. It struck that if they were looting other people's houses, were people looting her house too? She had assumed her apartment would be spared, that there wouldn't be anything valuable in the cheap building, but then she realized an apartment would be heaven. There was endless food in each apartment, medical supplies, and protection from the infected. It was perfect for survival.
She didn't care that they were in her apartment. They could have the dingy studio if they wanted. All she wanted was to retrieve an item that belonged to her mom, an item Midoriya had spent so much money on to get her for mothers day, and possibly the only artifact of sentimental value in that house. If the necklace was gone Midoriya wouldn't know what to do, especially since it may be the only thing left she had of her mother.
Standing in front of the blockade felt very eerie. The sun was still out, they had a few hours to sunset, but it was chilly like it was nightfall. Going up the stairs felt unnatural. There were no sounds of traffic below her, no loud music, and no loud screaming or moans from the other apartments. It was silent. Midoriya trailed behind her, seeming just as paranoid as her. When she looked back at him, he glared, showing he clearly didn't like what they were doing. She turned away, determined to get to her place.
The third floor was barren. Each apartment door was broken into, doors hanging from the hinges as the wind blew them open. She approached the door, letting it swing open on its own as she peeked inside. There was some light from the window, but other than that it was dark. It didn't feel warm and homey like it always did. There was no food cooking in the kitchen, no tv playing in the background, and no Midoriya Inko to greet her. It was barren.
"We should leave," Bakugou mumbled behind her. She ignored him, taking a step into her house. He grabbed her wrist. "Now, Deku."
"I have to get something," she told him. She tried to shake his grip off of her but he wouldn't let go. She could see him trying to form some sort of argument, try to convince her someway that what she was about to do was probably stupid and could cost her her life, but she didn't want to hear it. She was on a mission.
She managed to get outside of his grip and entered her house. It was much colder than she was used to, a chill running down her spine that wasn't pleasant. She wrapped her jacket around herself and let out a shaky breath. She shouldn't stay for too long. As much as she wanted to reminisce, this wasn't her home without her mother. She went to her room first, grabbing her own clothing to rely on in the future, especially her undergarments which she hadn't been able to change since the beginning, much to her displeasure. She also changed her shoes from her school shoes to her favorite pair of red boots. They were much more comfortable than the stiff, plastic leather shes the school provided her. She grabbed an All Might action figure because she could never leave her idol to collect dust on her shelf. Lastly, she grabbed her notebook from her room, because she had a few things she wanted to write down.
Her bag was practically overflowing by the time she was done packing. She managed to zip it close before walking out of her room. It felt dramatic, the door closing behind her like she was leaving her life behind. In a way, it felt like she was. She didn't like the feeling at all.
She approached her mom's door, slowly turning the handle to look inside. Everything was neatly organized. Her bed was made, her floor was cleared, and the room was dusted. It didn't look like the rest of the house. It didn't look like a room her mother would own, who often or not wouldn't make her bed at all. It looked like someone had been there.
Panic started to siege within her. She immediately went to her mother's jewelry box, looking inside for the gold artifact in question. Her mother owned a lot of jewelry, but at least half of it was missing, and it all seemed to be jewelry with expensive metals.
"Please be here," she muttered to herself, abandoning the jewelry box and looking in her mother's nightstand instead. There wasn't any sign of the necklace there either. She let out a heavy sigh, tears springing in her eyes. She needed at least one thing…
Her eyes sprung to her mother's dresser. There was a small box in the back corner just out of sight if nobody thought to look there. Midoriya quickly walked towards the shelf, her hands reaching for the item. She hoped with everything in her that it was the necklace, the one her mother loved so much.
"Please," she whispered, slowly opening the box to look inside. She let out a hearty laugh, the gold chain reflecting light into her eyes. She flinched, closed the box, and rubbed her eyes while looking into the mirror above her mother's dresser. Green eyes stared back at her, trying to refocus on the amount of light in the room. Her eyes trailed, looking in the reflection of the panel closet doors behind her. At first, she thought it was her imagination, but then her eyes started to note the outline of a person, the shadow not quite matching with the rest of the darkness in the closet. Her heart stopped. She wasn't alone.
She didn't know if it was smart or not, but she ran out of the room, past Bakugou, and into the car. He followed behind her, clearly confused about her sudden departure from her apartment. However, he didn't argue to start the car and immediately drove them home.
"We weren't the only ones there," Midoriya explained to him, out of breath and terrified. She looked over her shoulder, looking for the figure as if it would follow them. She didn't see anyone and relaxed in her seat. She let her guard down. She should've known better than to stay longer than she needed to.
"What do you mean?" he asked, his eyebrows scrunched together.
"Someone was hiding in my mom's closet," she revealed. "They must have hid when we entered." Her hand gripped her mother's necklace tightly, shivers running down her spine. Whoever they were, she wondered why they decided to hide. By the looks of it, they were much taller than her, probably stronger too. They could've easily overtook her, but they chose to hide. And worse, it felt malicious. It felt that if she had stayed a second longer, they probably would've taken the chance.
"Did you see what they looked like?" Bakugou asked lowly. Confused, she shook her head. She just knew someone was there, and that she needed to get out as soon as possible. "Did you get it?"
"Huh?"
"What you went there for. Did you get it?" he asked again, sounding slightly annoyed. She showed him the necklace. He scoffed in her face. "You're a dumbass, Deku. All that for a necklace?"
"It's important to me," she defended herself. "And I got other things too." The rest of the five minutes home was silent. Bakugou was silently angry in the driver's seat, seeming to dislike Midoriya's discovery more than she did. Again, she found the urge to ask why, but she knew she wouldn't get an answer.
The fire was bright and warm, illuminating the dark room. It had become a habit to listen to the radio before bed, to anticipate some kind of message to anyone still alive. They had yet to actually get anything, but they were hopeful.
Midoriya had fixed the two of them rice and beans they managed to find in another house. They were both eating silently to Bakugou's surprise. Usually, she would have started at least some small talk to avoid listening to the silence, yet nothing seemed to be coming to mind. Her eyebrows were furrowed together and she was chewing slowly, her food barely touched in the last ten minutes. She was thinking about something, and very intensely.
"Eat," he grunted, turning to the fire to act like he wasn't staring. Eyes widening, she began to take big bites out of her food. She finished in a few seconds, her cheeks red and eyes focused on the fire. "You know damn well that is not what I meant."
"Mmm," she hummed back, pausing, then looking at him dead in the eye. It was a little intimidating. "Are we being followed?" He looked forward, surprised by her bluntness. He knew sooner or later she'd realize, she was smart like that. "What happened at the store?" He unconsciously rubbed the bandage around his waist, thinking of the best way to describe the news to her. He was happy he realized the world wasn't going back to the way it was before her because it gave him ample time to figure out what to say. But he was never good at talking, and he was definitely never good at sugarcoating. Any other time he'd lay it as it was, but right then they were both scared out of their minds and wanted to find some semblance of normalcy.
"Go to sleep," he said. Midoriya huffed, her eyes burning into the side of his head.
"You can't keep secrets like this!"
"You know the fucking answer!" he argued back. "You just want confirmation. We can't assume anything anymore. Everything is yes or no, black and white, with no fucking in between. We're being followed, but it won't matter in a few days when we get our asses out of here and head for our parents." He took a big huff of air after his rant. Midoriya was staring at him wide eyed like a deer in headlights. The color had drained from her face, then her eyes drifted to his waist, and somehow her eyes grew wider.
"A person did that?" she asked him. Once again he didn't respond. Her hand covered her mouth, her small body trembling at the realization. He almost reached out to her, but it didn't feel right. It was too tense in the room with too much emotion to make anything comforting.
"Go to sleep," he said again, standing to cover the windows. He didn't look at Midoriya when he went to his corner, and he pretended not to hear her silent sobs. He didn't plan on sleeping, not as paranoid as he felt.
The idea that someone was following them was unsettling, but not as unsettling as the idea of the stalker and Midoriya in the same room. If it was the same person who attacked him in the store, then she could've been seconds away from being killed. There was also the idea that the person who attacked him had a friend or multiple friends. They were clearly alright with hurting other people, maybe even killing them. All he knew was that he needed to be the faster one, the one strong enough to protect Midoriya, and get them out of there first.
