Chapter Two: Part Two

"We're out of canned fruit." Namie bluntly said as she inspected their stashed food. A year they had held out, away from the exposure of the infected, away from the pain of the dead, away from humanity itself. Naha had been a dead zone for the last seven months, and with the help of Kai's connections from who knows where--they had installed security cameras at all angles of their previous restaurant. The windows were covered in thick metal along with the doors, only security codes could open them.

"Should we go and find more?" Riku asked lazily, laying on the floor in the dining area.

"No, Kai isn't back yet and he'd kill us if we left without him." Namie responded, laying down next to her sister.

"They've been gone for three hours already." Riku said, both of them staring at the ceiling fan above them, slowly both drifting off to sleep.

There was no air, no light, no nothing….only silence. A feeling crawled up their bodies, as if it was pulling them deeper into the spaces of slumber…….pulling….pulling.

"WAKE UP!" A man's voice barred out. Instantly the two girls snapped back to reality, oblivious of the dreams they'd just had.

"I'm gone and you both just sleep?" Kai lectured, behind him came Reiko carrying a large box full of clothing. "We've found more clothes, since the water isn't working we may as well get more clothes so we don't have to wash them as often." Reiko explained.

"Where is David?" Kai asked as he unloaded the mounds of cloth.

"He's sleeping don't worry." Riku said, yawning with such weariness- her sister following suit.

Kai walked into the back bedrooms and spied his son snoozing on the blankets. A year had passed and David already had a head full of hair, a mouth full of teeth, and could walk on his own. Time was never kind to them.

"How long has he been sleeping?" Reiko asked Namie.

"Nearly two hours, he'll be up all night." She answered. Namie then followed Reiko in to the back rooms and with great enthusiasm asked:

"So, did you see any today?"

"We thought so at one point, but Kai shot out in the air and it may have scared it off." She explained.

"Scared it off?" Namie said skeptically, "These things don't just 'scare off'."

"Like I said, it may have been one, or it could have been an animal."

"Or a human?" Namie inquired seriously.

"I doubt it, and besides we have been broadcasting from the radio Kai got from Mr. Goldsmith. If anyone were nearby they would have answered the calls." Reiko folded the clothes from earlier into neat piles.

"This Mr. Goldsmith, how rich is he? I mean he nearly made a bomb shelter out of this place." Namie wondered, like her sister they both never met this person who provided for their protection.

"He is a dear friend of your uncle's, apparently your uncle did a large favor for him in the past." Reiko explained, and ended the conversation by handing a pile of clothes to Namie. "These are yours now go and put them away."

Flashback

"The breaking news for this evening is a virus that has been found in several cases throughout the Naha hospitals. This rapidly growing epidemic is transferred by blood contact, and in few instances even air born. Symptoms include a high fever, intense aggravation, and even rabid behavior. If you or anyone you know shows signs of these symptoms--we ask you to check into the Naha Military hospital immediately."

Reiko turned off the television. Her husband busy washing dishes and her nieces cooing over her son. She let out a sigh.

"Great, I bring a baby into a world that's falling apart." She said.

"It's okay Aunt Reiko, you know the news always blows it out of proportion. And besides they only said it was a few cases." Riku said, still playing with her cousin.

"I know, but anything that deals with the military is always downsized." She replied.

Kai then looked toward his wife and gave her a reassuring smile, "I'm sure everything will be fine, it's just a bad virus, they haven't said anyone's died from it."

"You all are probably right, I never used to worry this much." Reiko explained, "It must kick in once you become a mother." The news continued broadcasting the information for the next month.

End Flashback.

There were people. That much she knew.

After she had made her way out of the shopping district, she could have sworn she heard a vehicle. But when she got close enough to investigate, a shot was fired. Who ever it was, she'd pick up on them later. Now, her major concern--feeding. She had been awake for six hours and hadn't had proper nourishment. So now attired for the occasion, she would set out for the nearest hospital.

She remembered there was a military base nearby, and the hospital she visited. Only this brought back very unwanted memories, should she venture forth to a place that only haunts? In her minds eye she saw her father reach out for her with his hand seriously deformed--and then it was gone as instantely as it came.

'Yes, The hospital it is." She thought.

Further inspection of the city made her realize that whatever had happened, was an instantaneous event. All at once. So much littered the roads; furniture, glass, trash, and vehicles. Whatever caused this was a widespread panic that took the city over in a matter of hours. As she walked the familiar highways, she remembered coming down this same road with her brother on his bike, racing past the vehicles along the way. It seemed so fresh a memory but so stale a moment. Nostalgia was a feeling embedded into her, but also one she hated most.

Her arms and legs were weak, as the military gates grew closer her hearing spiked up. From somewhere nearby she could discern a faint noise…..of something.

The sun loomed ever higher above her, glaring down with its rays. Maybe she was overheated and was hearing things.

The military gates before her, she pushed the chain links open and was greeted with a vile stench.

She acted out of instinct as the unknown figure lunged at her, snarling and reeking of death. She rolled out of its way and hopped back on her two feet to get a proper look at her enemy. It wore a tattered military uniform, it's face unnaturally sallow and leathered. It snarled its teeth at her, and lunged again.

With grace and agility she jumped over it, and spotted a pipe on the ground some distance away.

Again, the fiend came forward and she ran swiftly to where the pipe lay.Her feet made a 'crunch' on the grass as she ran. She knew very well she was too weak to take it on physically at this point, she need blood. As she moved toward her intended target the fiend grabbed a hold of her clothes and pulled back--making her slam backwards into it.

In that instant the fiend, took hold of her waist, but not by it's hands--by its teeth and bit down deep into her flesh. As she let out a scream of pain, the fiend was ripped from her side by a black shape. She tried to crawl away, holding her hands at her side as she felt the deepness of the flesh wound. Her vision began to blur and as she turned on her back and stared up at the blazing sun ahead--a silhouetted man looked down at her--her visions played tricks on her.

Hagi?