For some time, Izaya stared at his horrifying injury, not due to the wound itself, but what it represented; horrifying because this single injury meant the end. That's not to say it wasn't painful. The teeth marks were barely visible due to the blood covering his arm, and Izaya gritted his teeth as pain continuously throbbed around the wound. Izaya curled his hands into fists, trying to blink back the tears of frustration and fear.

Izaya was scared.

For the first time in so long, he was truly terrified.

He didn't want to die.

Better yet, he didn't want to die and –

Different options raced through his mind, and none sounded appealing, but they all ended the same.

Izaya huffed a laugh, but it was bitter, and the mask he usually wore slowly slipped from his face. Izaya chewed his lip, and a few tears eventually fell down his cheeks. "It's really the end." He thought he could survive if he were careful enough, but Izaya's physical stature was limited. Yes, he was known as one of the strongest in Ikebukuro, but that often depended on your definition of strong. Izaya realized that his strength seemed insignificant in this world, making him all the more anxious. "I guess it doesn't matter anymore…." Ignoring pain was something Izaya was used to, he had developed a high tolerance for it over time, but apparently, a severe bite from an infectious corpse wasn't on the injury list.

The bleeding hadn't stopped, and Izaya struggled to move any part of his arm or hand. He guessed that the deep wound had damaged the tendon, but he wasn't a doctor.

Izaya glanced at the blood-covered knife beside him: option one was to sever his arm from where the wound began, but some time had passed, and he had already missed his opportunity.

Option two. Izaya reached inside his discarded jacket and pulled the gun from the pocket. It seemed like death was the only option for him now. Izaya didn't want to die, but fate was kind enough to allow him to decide before it was too late. Izaya's hand shook around the gun as he raised the barrel to his head.

Just one pull of the trigger…

No!

Izaya angrily threw the gun at the door.

He couldn't do it.

Izaya laughed sardonically at his predicament. "Shit…I'm such a coward…."

He would turn, wouldn't he?

Izaya shook his head and pushed up from the floor with tremendous effort. He leaned on the tall dresser beside the wall and slowly shoved the thing against the door. Izaya was too afraid to stop himself from turning, but at the very least, he could trap himself inside… "If only the first victim did that," he muttered distastefully, but even as he said that he knew there was no way of knowing what would happen at the time. "That can't be said for everyone else who knew." Izaya had dubbed those who couldn't take their own life to stop the spread a coward. "I guess that makes me a hypocrite." Izaya sighed shakily and turned to his rucksack. He had gathered many useful supplies on his short travel, most of which were collected at the hospital. What use was it now? Was it ever useful?

Izaya pulled out the half-empty bottle of iodine and some bandages. Izaya's vision blurred, and he braced a hand on the bedpost as he stumbled forward. It was probably blood loss, but who's to say it wasn't the early symptoms of the infection taking over?

Izaya shuffled into the bathroom and caught himself in the mirror. What was the point in even treating the wound? "Was I always this spineless?" Izaya averted his gaze from his reflection and turned on the faucet. He bit down on his lip when cold water rushed over his wound to wash away the blood. His breathing grew heavy as he grabbed the open bottle of iodine, and a cry of pain escaped his lips when the liquid was poured over his arm. Izaya squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the pain to subside.

Izaya collapsed on the tiled floor holding his arm tightly to his chest, and after a few shuddery breaths, he began to wrap the bandage material around the hideous injury, hiding it away from sight as though he were hiding the painful reality.

Izaya stumbled from the bathroom and collapsed on his back over the bed. Even if he wasn't injured, he was exhausted from over-exertion.

If he slept, would he notice the change?

Would he have any knowledge it had happened?

Izaya glanced at the window, wondering if it would be the last time he saw the sun gleaming through it. He tried to stay awake, but between leaving the hospital and arriving at the hotel with a stab wound and now the bite wound on his arm continuously throbbing, Izaya could no longer fight it. He knew that once he stopped, his body would refuse to start again until he rested. A few more stray tears slid down his cheeks as he closed his eyes, knowing he would cease to exist the next time he opened them.

…

Izaya's eyes opened in the dark hotel room. His body ached, and the pull in his sore muscles reminded him of his injuries.

Wait.

Izaya bolted upright with a gasp, all aches, and injuries forgotten as he quickly left the bed to fumble through his rucksack. "There you are," he said shakily and pulled out the torch. The torch provided enough light to check his surroundings. It was still the room he remembered falling asleep in, and nothing seemed disturbed. Izaya looked over at the window and walked toward it; there wasn't a way to know how late it was, but he remembered it being early when he arrived in the city. "There's no way…."

Finally, Izaya dared to shine the torch over his bandaged arm. He sat back on the bed with a shuddery breath and began unraveling the layers of cloth. With a wince, Izaya pulled off the last layer and gasped. The injury looked terrible, as most bite wounds were, but that's all it seemed to be. The nasty injury wasn't the infectious human bite it was supposed to be. It appeared that the infection had stayed contained in the wounded area instead of spreading through his system, but that was only a guess on his part as he had no knowledge of what happens when it does.

"It's unclear how long the infection takes to spread through the body once you're bitten, but the top scientist of a clinic in Sendai reported and theorized that one percent of the world's population could be immune. Whether it be from the bite or smoking the marijuana plant. Since there's been no one who's survived the infection or the drug, we won't know if the scientist's theory was right."

That was what the soldier had told him.

Izaya couldn't believe it.

He had been out for hours, and there was no way the infection took that long to spread.

He was immune.

A smile soon spread on his face, and he started laughing.

Izaya's laugh turned hysterical, and he jumped on the bed. "I must be the luckiest human to ever exist!" Izaya spun around and continued to jump on the mattress. "I can't believe it!" The raven bounced and let himself fall on his back. The injury on his side was a sudden reminder that he wasn't invincible, and even though he was likely immune to the virus, he could still die in other ways. Izaya might not have died from the infectious bite, but the blood loss could have killed him. Immunity also didn't protect you from the aggressors since those types didn't care for human flesh; all they wanted to do was rip you apart.

Izaya was far from safe, but the thought of never having to worry about turning into one of those things outweighed any other concerns he had about surviving. Izaya's laughter calmed to a light chuckle as he stared at the ceiling, his torch casting light in half the room. He wouldn't let it go to his head. A bite was a bite and could still kill you if severe enough. Next time, it might not just be his arm. His newfound immunity didn't make him any less wary of the creatures, but it gave him temporary comfort. He would be okay. "I'm not dying today."

Yeah, he was extremely lucky.

"One percent, huh?"

A frown etched on the raven's face when a memory flashed in his mind.

Shizuo bared his teeth and watched Izaya walk past him toward the apartment building's entrance. "Whenever random crap happens, ninety nine percent of the time you're involved somehow."

Izaya turned with a small grin, his switchblade appearing in his hand. "And you can't have faith in that one percent?" The blade unfolded, and Izaya raised it to Shizuo's sight. "Guess that's a – no."

Izaya laughed. "Oh, the irony. I can just imagine the look on Shizu-chan's face. Not exactly the same relevance of that one percent, but I think it still counts." The smile dropped when he suddenly remembered something about the darkness. Izaya sat up and listened. He couldn't hear any movements in the corridor, but that didn't mean they weren't lurking. Izaya stood up and walked to the window. It was too dark to see them all, but he swore he saw glimpses in the few streetlights still working. "I guess I'm stuck here until morning."

Izaya felt his stomach burn with sudden hunger and couldn't remember when he last ate. Izaya lifted his bag on the bed and sat cross-legged while rummaging through it. He found an energy bar and a coffee can, which would sate him for now until he acquired the resources for something more substantial like his noodle pots. Izaya moaned appreciatively when the bitter liquid entered his mouth, grateful to still enjoy such a simple pleasure. Izaya only had one more of these, so he would keep it until he reached his next goal. Izaya felt he deserved this; you might call it a celebration drink to his immunity. Izaya scrunched his nose at the energy bar since it was rather sweet, but he was too hungry to dismiss the food simply because he didn't like the taste.

Izaya grimaced.

He could very well be hungry for human flesh by now, so with that in mind, the bar suddenly tasted appetizing if he ignored the churning his thoughts caused. After his small meal, Izaya removed his shirt, gathered new gauze paddings and bandages, and recleaned the wounds on his arm and side, surprised to find that most of the stitches were intact. Izaya knew the wounds themselves could still become infected, so ignoring them at a moment's rest was just stupid. Purple bruising had formed over his chest, but it wasn't severe enough to cause concern. Izaya bandaged his side without much fuss, but he couldn't stop the small groan when it came to his arm. The wound was tender to touch, and he still couldn't move the damn thing too much. Izaya glanced at the window. Parkour might be a problem in the morning, but he was hopeful that the balconies from the rooms would suffice as decent jumping points. This kind of jump was nothing on a normal day, but with only one working arm, it would prove challenging.

Izaya jumped slightly when a thud on his door sounded and quickly turned his attention to it before realizing the dresser blocked the way. Izaya sighed. The door only opened with his key card, and with the object as added weight, nothing was getting in.

Izaya packed his things and lay across the bed. He should enjoy the rest because once he left, who knew how long until he could rest like this again? The thought briefly crossed his mind to stay here, but the craving for human interaction would surely drive him nuts eventually, and Izaya couldn't imagine living out the rest of his days on his own in this small room, not to mention his short supplies. No, leaving this hotel was the best choice.

…

Izaya was ready by the first signs of daylight. He had slept a few more hours, so he felt rested enough to continue the journey. Izaya pushed open the window, and a light cool breeze blew his now soft hair. The water was cold, but Izaya used what was left in the bathroom to make himself feel better. Due to his wounds, bathing was out of the question, but even washing his hair felt nice. Ah, he used to love a hot bath, regardless of any injuries he might have had, but sadly, those days were gone, and his medical supplies had to last. He couldn't afford to keep changing the bandages. Perhaps a hot bath awaited him once he reached Haneda.

Carefully, Izaya began his descent down the hotel building, taking his time to rest between every other balcony until he finally reached the bottom. Izaya jumped the last distance with a grunt of discomfort. He looked up and sighed. There was a moment when he nearly slipped up and used his left arm to grab the next balcony, but reflexes kicked in before he quickly grabbed it with his right hand.

Izaya scanned the immediate area for infected humans but was relieved to find not a single one in sight.

Izaya took out his knife once he reached the car park, his latest take-down still inanimately rotting away. It didn't seem like the infected much had a taste for their own kind. Izaya scoffed at the oddity. They weren't cannibals since they didn't eat other infected, yet they used to be humans who now fed off other humans. Funny, though, the aggressors didn't care who the hell they killed. Izaya prepared to step from the daylight into the car park where many could lurk, once again regretting the decision to park there.

Izaya found his car and was thankful that it hadn't been stolen, not that he had seen anyone alive since that man in the hotel. Izaya jumped when a car alarm sounded nearby and wasted no more time reaching his car and locking himself safely inside. Izaya closed his eyes with a sigh. Now he just needed to start the engine and –

A loud thud on the windscreen caused his eyes to snap open, and panic began to fill him. "Shit!" Izaya quickly turned the ignition and slammed his foot on the accelerator, driving into the zombie before harshly stepping on the break and sending it flying. The tires screeched when he reversed with a sharp turn and again when he accelerated forward. The sound was enough to attract their attention, and he wasn't hanging around to find out just how many were around. Izaya sped out of the car park and onto the empty city street, thankful to be leaving it behind.

The next gas station was twenty-five miles, but Izaya was confident he could make it.

Next stop, Ikebukuro.