Luffy leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he air dried. He nodded slowly, his nose scrunching up. He looked from the hallway to Zoro, still nodding.

"Sorry."

Luffy shook his head, pursing his lips and waving his hand dismissively, "Nah. No problem."

"I'm really sorry." Luffy pushed off of the wall and stepped closer to Zoro. Zoro swallowed, shaking his head in guilty disbelief, "You wanna borrow my clothes? You can have my shirt or my pants… You pick…"

Luffy looked Zoro up and down before replying, "Your pants wouldn't stay up."

"Here," Zoro breathed, stripping his shirt off. "Take it."

Luffy grabbed Zoro's shirt and pulled it over his head. It was oversized on his slender frame, fitting poorly around the neck, sliding down his shoulders. The bottom hem went to the very top of his thighs, a sliver of tan buttocks peeking out from underneath in the back.

"Zoro," Luffy breathed out slowly.

"Yeah, I know," Zoro mumbled. "I suck."

"Never mind it," Luffy decided, turning back to the doctor. "Let's go. We've wasted enough time."

"I told you, I'm not going with you."

Luffy crossed the room in three quick strides. He gestured to his bare, exposed legs, and other parts, and then at Zoro. "Do we look like we're willing to hear 'no'?"

"It's a mad house down there," the doctor protested. "Your friends are already dead."

Luffy punched the doctor in the stomach without warning, tossing the larger man over his shoulder. He adjusted the man before walking past Zoro. He paused only a minute, licking his lips in irritation, "Let's go."

"What about the supplies? Our cart? There's other people here…" Zoro began, following after Luffy.

"We found our doctor," Luffy replied, pinning the struggling man's hands down. "I hate this place. Let's just go."

The doctor began to laugh. His chuckles were eerie in the darkness, his breath fanning across Luffy's skin. He cackled loudly, madly. Luffy lowered him to his feet, his hand slipping around the doctor's collar, "What's funny?"

"You're not gonna get out of here," the doctor whispered. "You're gonna get both me and your friend here killed…" the doctor tried to move back toward the room. "And you're gonna die too."

"What's gonna kill us?" Zoro questioned, inching closer.

"You boys play video games?" the doctor asked suddenly.

Zoro shook his head and grabbed the doctor, dragging him down the hall toward the elevator. He hooked his arm under the man's, locking him around the shoulder. The man resisted, dropping his weight onto Zoro, but Zoro persisted.

There was a loud thud as a door ahead of them slammed shut. Zoro paused, turning to look at Luffy. Luffy shrugged, shaking his head, "Fuck it. Keep going."

There was another outburst of laughter, but this time it wasn't from the doctor in Zoro's hold. Zoro dropped the doctor and turned, pulling his machetes from his pants. "Who the hell was that?"

"Who's there?" Luffy called out.

The strobing emergency lights were enough to make Luffy's head pound. He felt as if his skull might split. Every second spent in the hospital felt like an eternity deprived of oxygen. He inhaled sharply, pressing his hand against his chest in an effort to assist his lungs.

"I asked you boys if you play video games, you didn't say…" the doctor said, pressing up against the wall. "It'll be easier to explain if you do."

"Explain what?" Zoro demanded, pointing his machete in the doctor's direction.

A door behind them slammed shut and then another opened down the hall. There was a sudden domino effect of opening and shutting doors. It had to be coordinated, the way it aligned so perfectly. Finally everything was still and silent. Luffy turned around, ready to sprint to the elevator when suddenly something bumped into the nurses' station in front of them.

Luffy stepped forward, examining their cart of supplies. Most of the items they'd collected were gone, including the scrubs. Luffy kicked the cart hard, bending the metal before sending it flying against the wall.

"I'm done with this shit. Just come out!" Luffy shouted, his hands curling into fists. "Come out! I'm ready to kick your ass!"

"If you kids were into video games," the doctor continued, "you'd understand what's happening…"

"And what's happening?" Zoro snapped.

"Forget him," Luffy decided, "Just leave him. Let's go." Luffy pointed to the stairwell, "There."

"I wouldn't use the stairs," the doctor warned, his eyes wide.

"Why not?" Zoro asked.

"They'll get you for sure there…"

"The power's down," Luffy pointed out. "The elevator probably doesn't work anyway." Luffy tugged on Zoro's baggy shirt, pulling it down until the material stretched out.

"There's nowhere to hide in the stairwell," the doctor breathed out.

"Good," Luffy snapped. "I don't want those jerks to be able to hide. I wanna punch them."

"Fine," the doctor replied, rushing back to his room, "Let the griefers kill you! I warned you!"

"What the hell are griefers?" Luffy asked quietly, leaning into Zoro.

Zoro shrugged, "Never heard of 'em."

The heavy steel door of the stairwell unexpectedly slammed shut. Luffy shook his head angrily, knocking his fist against Zoro's arm, "I'm so mad I could murder someone."

"It's fine," Zoro said calmly, walking ahead of Luffy. "Let's just get back to the others. Maybe we can find the cafeteria."

"Maybe we can just burn this whole place down," Luffy snarled.

"Hey," Zoro replied, smiling reassuringly, "If that's what you wanna do, that's what we'll do."

"You don't think the fifth floor was the griefers do you?" Luffy asked suddenly, pausing to look at Zoro.

Zoro shook his head, "We don't need to worry about it. I got your back, you've got mine."

"We didn't get a doctor," Luffy sighed in defeat.

"Yeah, but," Zoro licked his lips and shook his head, "That guy was probably too far gone. I mean, he was wacky."

"Wacky…" Luffy snickered.

"What? He was," Zoro replied, shrugging.

Luffy smiled, "Just a funny word, I guess. Maybe coming from you…"

"He who wears no pants should not laugh at other people," Zoro retorted, smirking villainously.

Luffy gaped in offended shock, "And who's fault is that?"

"Well, actually the griefers who stole our cart had a lot to do with it too," Zoro pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I didn't ask the griefers to go get me a pair of clothes while I showered…"

"I'm sorry! It was a terrible turn of events and I feel awful, really I do, but it's time to move on and I think you're doing a great job just rolling with it… You know you smell really good, well clean, now and that's an improvement…"

"And you know what," Luffy added, nodding. "I kinda like the air," he moved his hips back and forth, wiggling his body, "It's pleasant… kinda weird, but pleasant."

"Alright, great," Zoro sighed, "But I'm gonna need you to stop doing that."

"Ah, yeah, sure," Luffy agreed, adjusting the shirt. "Screw this place. Let's roll."

Luffy ripped the stairwell door from its hinges, leaving it dangling by a single joint. He peered inside the dark, cold space his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Hello? Anyone home?"

"Someone's there," Zoro warned. "Be careful."

Luffy scoffed, "What the heck do I need to be careful about? As long as they're human, I'm not really concerned…" He rolled his shoulders back, feeling more confident than before. Zoro realized the darkness of the stairwell put less strain on Luffy than the bright, white sterile halls. "I'm ready to kick ass."

"Okay, Rambo," Zoro teased, "Just remember you don't have any pants on."

Luffy made a face at Zoro before walking down the steps, calling over his shoulder, "Trust me. I remember."

Luffy had made it about twelve steps when the whooping started. It was a deep bark, uttered in unison by several men. The barks reverberated in the narrow space, echoing up the chamber-like walls. It made the skin on Zoro's arms prickle, but the noise seemed to excite Luffy.

Luffy barked back, banging his hands on his chest. He snickered, "That's what we need. A dog."

"We have a reindeer," Zoro replied.

Luffy considered it before nodding, "Yeah. That's cool too." Luffy shrugged, "And he talks."

"How many?" Zoro asked calmly.

Luffy smiled, turning to look at Zoro before replying, "Eight."

"I'll take the top and you take the bottom?" Zoro delegated.

"Sure," Luffy agreed.

Luffy jumped easily over the side railing. He smiled as he heard Zoro's feet pounding on the cement stairs. Luffy landed beside one of the men. His smile never faltered. He grabbed the man roughly, pulling him down to his level, "You a doctor?"

The man laughed, loud and unnatural. The man laughed so hard he had to gasp for air. Luffy shrugged and without a second's hesitation he threw the man over the railing. The man laughed hysterically all the way down. There was a sick thud and then a sound like water overflowing the sink. The laughter stopped.

The next two men were together; and still barking when Luffy found them. They were covered in blood. Sick trophies were strung around their necks; fingers, toes, bits of unidentifiable flesh. Luffy took one look at them and shook his head. "I'm sorry," Luffy breathed out. "We had no idea we could do this to people."

The men barked, inching closer and closer to Luffy. Their spit sprayed against his skin. He didn't bother wiping it. He stood there for a few more seconds, letting the insane men bark in his face. And then he reached out, his hand wrapping just right around their necks. He dislocated their cervical vertebrae, snapping their necks instantly.

Luffy jumped down another flight of stairs, nearly dropping to his knees on the landing. He rubbed his sore thighs and pulled down his shirt, tugging at the hem uncomfortably. He looked at the young man in front of him. He stared into his yellow, wet looking eyes. "Are you currently employed in the medical field?"

The man nodded, "Yeah."

"Anything useful?" Luffy pressed, ignoring the sliced corpse that fell from above.

"I'm a radiology tech."

Luffy scrunched up his face, "And is that useful?"

"You're gonna die."

Luffy rolled his eyes, placing his hands on his hips, "Says who?"

"Says everyone," the man replied, his eyes widening as Zoro climbed down the stairs. He watched Zoro wipe his machete blades, fear etched in his features.

"Yeah, well, no offense, but you're all fucking crazy," Zoro replied.

"Not them," the young man shook his head, his body trembling. "Not the griefers."

Luffy and Zoro looked at each other instantly, something uncomfortable settling into the air. Zoro stepped forward, holding both machetes in one hand as he grabbed hold of the man's shirt. "Quit fucking around."

"I'm not fucking around," the man insisted, his teeth chattering. "It's true. You're gonna die. All of you. You're gonna get ripped apart and-"

"Zoro! Wait!" Luffy demanded, grabbing Zoro's arm and staying the execution. "I don't like killing people who are still people-ish…"

"I don't wanna die… I don't wanna die… help me… help me…" the man began to panic. He reached out for Luffy, pulling him roughly. "Help me, Luffy! Help me!"

"Let go of him," Zoro commanded, trying to break the man's incredible grasp on Luffy. The shirt ripped in half down the front and still the man had his hands on Luffy.

"How do you know my name?" Luffy wondered, not reacting to the scuffle between the two men.

"Everyone lies!" the man gasped, falling to his knees with shards of Luffy's shirt still in his hands. "Everyone fucking lies… Who can… who can we trust?"

"How do you know my name?" Luffy repeated.

The man wept. He seemed to cling to the tattered strip of Luffy's shirt, as if it granted him comfort. He suddenly pulled to his feet and turned, looking Luffy straight in the eye. "You've got to take some responsibility."

Luffy didn't have time to respond before the man threw himself over the stair railing. He was completely silent as he fell; only making a terrible grunt when he hit the bottom. The sound was abrupt and expected all at once. It was a terrible sound; a sound that once you've heard you can't unhear it. You know. You know the sound.

Luffy spun around, his hands gripping the rails. He leaned over and vomited, spewing bile into the air. He choked and sputtered for a minute or two before he finally righted himself. He took of the shredded shirt and wiped his mouth and chest.

"Alright," Luffy said, nodding as if to encourage himself. "Next floor we're getting some clothes."

"Yeah, okay," Zoro agreed, although not optimistic.

"This day is just getting ridiculous," Luffy murmured, continuing to walk down the stairs.

"Yeah, I guess," Zoro replied lamely. He cleared his throat and finally asked, "Are you alright?"

"This is the third time, I think," Luffy admitted, licking his lips.

"Third time for what?"

Luffy kept walking, finally he answered, "I think the zombies or infected or whatever are trying to tell me something…" Luffy pushed open the door, stepping out onto the seventh floor. He held the door for Zoro before tiptoeing across the tile. "I don't think it's all of them. But I remember three… They were different…"

"Different how? I mean, that guy, he was crazy. Those rashes are bad news…" Zoro replied.

They began to open cupboard after cupboard until Luffy finally exclaimed in delight, "Got it!" He held out a dreary hospital gown, waving it back and forth triumphantly. He pulled it on and turned around, "Tie me."

Zoro was silent. He held the fabric together as close as possible. And then he tied the top, cinching the material together. He tied the middle tie, his eyes intently on his own hands. And finally he managed to get the third tie. He backed away quickly, nodding once the job was done, "Got it."

"Thanks," Luffy replied, shrugging another gown onto his shoulders. He tied this gown in the front, blocking drafts and accidental wardrobe malfunctions. "How do I look?" Luffy asked, fluttering his eyelashes and sticking out his hip. He waved his arm in a grand gesture, waving delicately.

"Like one of those depression era kids from the dust bowl," Zoro answered.

Luffy nodded, "Fair enough."

"Let's get back in the stairwell," Zoro suggested. "These strobing lights are killing me."

"Zoro, I killed everyone," Luffy blurted out suddenly. "It's my fault."

Zoro shook his head, wrapping his arm around Luffy's shoulder. He squeezed gently, affectionately, before saying, "You were an unwilling participant. You were involved, but it's not your fault. None of it… None of it's your fault."

"How's the world going to see it?" Luffy asked. Suddenly, with an audible whirr, the electricity powered back on. Luffy made a face, "That's weird. Not like there's a crew to fix it…"

Zoro made a face before inquiring, "Do you care?"

"Well, I'm glad to have the AC back, but it's…"

"No, about how the world sees you…"

Luffy shook his head, "No. I mean, I guess not, I don't know…" Luffy sighed, "Is it normal to not care what people think and also care what people think?"

Zoro laughed, ushering Luffy back to the stairwell, "Yeah, Luf, that's life."

"Today's been weird," Luffy decided, holding open the door to the stairwell. He waited for Zoro to pass through before walking. Luffy nearly crashed into the back of Zoro as the older man came to an abrupt stop. Luffy peered around Zoro's shoulder, staring up in his face, "What's wrong?"

Luffy followed Zoro's gaze to the stairwell. Down the next landing, and then the next, and the next, and on down as far as he could see, there were people standing. Just standing there, motionless. They were silent, their eyes cast upward; focusing on the two men.

"When did they get there?" Luffy breathed out.

Zoro shook his head with uncertainty, "I don't know."

"Maybe they were there the whole time?" Luffy suggested, scratching rather impolitely at his nose. "It was pretty dark before…"

"Don't say that!" Zoro gasped, shuddering at the very thought.

Luffy leaned over the railing, "Hello? Are any of you doctors or nurses?"

"Luffy, I think that plan's gone," Zoro tried to explain.

Suddenly the people on the stairs began to move. The ran up the steps, their feet pounding loudly on the steps. They tore up the stairs, throwing their bodies from side to side. They turned unnaturally, always facing Zoro and Luffy as they ran.

"Uh, Zoro?" Luffy murmured, taking a step back.

"Yeah?" Zoro whispered, his back pressed against Luffy's chest.

"I think we should try the elevator."

Zoro nodded, turning around and pushing Luffy back through the stairwell door, "Good idea."

"I mean," Luffy chattered as they ran toward the elevators. "We could take them… but it's just… well…"

"There's a lot of them," Zoro interjected, nodding his head. "And we're trying to hurry."

"Exactly!" Luffy grunted, slapping the elevator button repeatedly.

There was a screeching yell in the stairwell and someone slammed loudly against the door. Luffy tapped the elevator button over and over. He licked his lips and flashed Zoro a smile, "Must be busy."

Zoro made a face, "It better not be."

The stairwell door creaked open and several yellow-eyed people spilled onto the floor. People climbed over them, stepping all over their bodies without regard. They clambered toward Luffy and Zoro.

"I don't think the elevators working," Luffy realized.

"Yeah, no, just run," Zoro decided shoving Luffy ahead of him.

Luffy groaned loudly, "Damn it! We shouldn't be running, we should be fighting…"

"We need a wall to our back, go to the end of the hall," Zoro instructed.

Luffy nodded, "Makes sense."

But once they were at the end of the hall, side by side, with a glass window to their backs, they felt a little outnumbered. Luffy sighed, "I've had worse odds."

"Yeah, me too," Zoro agreed.

Luffy gripped Zoro's shoulders and squeezed, laughing nervously, "So why am I so not feeling this?"

"Cause," Zoro murmured, "They're not zombies. They're… just… wrong…"

"I hate it here! I hate it!" Luffy exclaimed childishly. "Everything's five hundred times creepier than it should be…"

"I'll take care of it," Zoro assured him, stepping forward. He brandished both of his machetes. "You can wait there."

"I'm not gonna just wait here…"

Zoro turned, smirking confidently, "Then you can keep count."