Izaya opened his eyes to the darkness of his room. He remembered getting stabbed in the street and was in the hospital. He sighed and forced himself into a sitting position, a hand resting on his wound. He glanced at the clock on the wall: 22:30. Izaya stared intently at the door for a few seconds.

Suddenly, a loud noise that sounded like an explosion, followed by a bright glow of flames, interrupted his thoughts. The noise startled him, and he frowned as he turned his attention away from the door and toward his window. The glow of flames flickered light into his room, and he carefully swung his legs over the bed and brought his hand up around his side as he shuffled across the floor. Izaya peered through the window and glanced down into the streets, and frowned slightly in confusion when he heard muffled screams from the people below. They were running all over the place and scattering like ants. "What's going on…." It was dark, and despite the angry bright flames that licked across the street, Izaya couldn't see the cause.

Izaya turned away from the window and glanced at his jacket hanging up by the closet. Well, first things first. He opened the blue hospital robe covering his body and checked the bandage to ensure it was adequate. Izaya began to dress, starting with his pants, being careful of his wound. When he pulled his shirt over his head, the door to his room opened in one quick swoop. Izaya stilled and watched a nurse rush in and quickly lock eyes with him, realizing he was out of bed. Izaya expected her to start fussing over him, but she didn't. The light switched on, and Izaya immediately noticed the fear on her face. "Oh, Mr. Orihara, it's not safe here right now," she spoke with a panicked tone and pointed at the door. "You must come with me. The hospital is being evacuated."

Izaya looked at her for a moment, trying to assess the situation. "Why?" He grinned as though he had come up with his own reasons. "I just bet a certain blond monster is after me," he chuckled. "Managing to clear an entire hospital, how very brutish of him." Izaya grabbed his jacket and slipped into the sleeves.

The woman frowned in confusion and stepped further into the room. "I don't know about specific hair color, but I don't think it matters. Come on, you have to leave and follow the rest to the evacuation zone."

Izaya's grin faded, and he glanced at the window, then back to the nurse. "Is this to do with what's going on outside?"

The nurse's face contorted with a fearful expression. "You saw them?"

Izaya stepped toward her, deciding that it would benefit him if he followed her for now. "Them, who's them?"

The nurse shuddered. "Come on, you must leave. They've already started to overrun this place. It's not saf-" Izaya's eyes widened, and a yelp escaped his mouth. All too quickly, someone – something, pushed the nurse to the ground, and her scream of terror filled his ears. Izaya backed himself against the wall and watched horrifiedly as the woman was bitten and slowly torn apart. Her piercing screams were cut off, and her attacker merely continued to dive into his 'meal.' No sign of remorse, no hesitation, just….attack.

The raven couldn't utter a word and wasn't even sure if he was breathing, but the attacker hadn't noticed him yet. Slowly and very quietly, Izaya crouched low and shimmied under the bed. Izaya had no weapon with which to defend himself against that kind of monstrosity. Just what the fuck was that? He winced at the tension that his stretched form caused his wound, but he stayed still, hoping whoever or whatever it was left soon. Bile rose in his throat, and he suddenly had to turn his head away. The woman's insides were quite literally being pulled apart…...and eaten. Certainly not blond, and most definitely not Shizuo. A monster? Very likely, but…... what caused someone to do that? Was this what the woman tried to tell him? Was this the reason for the evacuation?

Them. Did that mean there were more than one of these things? Izaya glanced at the window. It would explain the panic taking over the streets below. I have to be dreaming. Izaya looked at the now half-eaten mess of what used to be the nurse, cringed, and squashed down the need to vomit. Maybe I could escape while it's distracted. Izaya reached his arm out, gripped the edge of the bed, and slowly pulled himself out from the side. He kept his breathing light and crouched as he shifted forward inch by inch. He stood up with a clenched fist, his heart beating rapidly and painfully against his chest. So far, the man, at least he thought it was a man, hadn't noticed him, still chowing down on the poor nurse's flesh. That's right, just focus on your meal there…... Izaya grimaced at his thoughts.

His attention shifted between the door and the attacker each time he stepped forward. In the distance, he could hear screams and shouts and just hoped the thing stayed distracted for another minute longer. Izaya shuffled along the wall, focusing entirely on the man as he reached the doorway. Stepping out into the corridor, he quickly backed himself against the wall, taking a few seconds to breathe a sigh of relief. Izaya opened his eyes and gasped loudly when he came face to face with another one. Izaya yelped and jumped to the side when it lunged for him, but blood spluttered from its forehead in a split second. The raven's eyes grew wide as he watched the rabid-like-human collapse to the floor. "Were you bit?"

Izaya stared at the male who had spoken, his body in shock. "Wha?" He could barely utter a syllable.

The man frowned, shifted his gun, and stepped forward. "Did it get you?" The raven shook his head but was still frozen in place. "So, why are you here?"

Izaya blinked in confusion and followed the man's gaze to his wrist. Izaya lifted his arm. "I was stabbed…." There was a short growl to their left, and Izaya's eyes widened when the one he left behind in his room had its sights on them now. Blood splayed over its clothes and dripped from its teeth. Before it could lunge at them, a single gunshot pierced through its forehead.

The man's attention shifted back to the raven. "I'll wager a guess that you have no idea what's going on, right?"

Izaya shook his head. He really really didn't. "Is it rabies or something?"

The man, or rather, the soldier, snorted a laugh. "Can see why you might say that, but rabies isn't contagious, or rather, it's not passed between humans." He gestured his thumb down the corridor when a scream interrupted them. "We're trying to get as many as we can to safety. This hospital is practically a feasting ground for them now. It all happened so quick, damn…." Izaya frowned and opened his mouth to ask a question, but a gun was pushed toward him. He glanced down at the small beretta and slowly took hold of the handle. "Don't suppose you know how to use that."

Izaya glanced at him in disbelief. This soldier just handed him a fucking gun; how bad was this situation? He couldn't have been unconscious for any longer than three days! "I know how to use one, but not sure how good my aim is. I've never fired a gun."

"Good enough. Just make sure you aim for the fucking head."

The head? "Why are you-" Izaya frowned, looking at the two already dead. "Why are you killing these people?" Izaya knew it was a stupid thing to ask, and he didn't intend it in that context. "They look-" closing his mouth again, Izaya didn't know what he wanted to say. Were they sick? Were they even still, 'human?'

"Don't you dare say human. They stopped being human the moment they came back to life."

Izaya stared at him in surprise. What the hell does that mean? "What?"

The soldier shook his head. "I don't have time to explain, but if we get out of this hospital alive, then I'll tell you everything."

Izaya couldn't help the fear that crept up his spine. Yes, Izaya Orihara was afraid, and who wouldn't be? If - if they got out alive. Fuck. "How many of these - sick people, are there?" Yeah, sick people, that was a good name, right?

The soldier almost chuckled. "If you're looking for something that sounds explainable, I would suggest infected ones." Izaya swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. That certainly made sense. Izaya followed the soldier down the corridor, and they jogged before stopping near a double doorway. Infected with what exactly? If not rabies, then what the fuck was it? "The simpler term?" The soldier turned to him with a tight smile before it dropped from his face, and he raised his gun. For a moment, Izaya froze, wondering if the man had decided to shoot him. He gripped the weapon he had been given. No way would he be quick enough to fire before the other did. Suddenly, he was pushed to the side, and a gunshot sounded. Izaya turned just in time to see the bullet break through someone's skull. The body collapsed to the floor, and the raven looked at the soldier when he spoke again. "Would be a zombie."