Sorry last chapter was so long. I'll try to keep them to a manageable size from here on out. Haha
I suppose I need a disclaimer in here? So then.. Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Right on. Let's get to it.
Tenten's breathing was ragged. She could hear everything: the moans, the growls, the thumps and dragging feet. At the same time all she could focus on was the sound of her beating heart. It was too loud. It was too fast. They could hear it. They could smell it… her blood rushing through her veins and arteries like a tsunami. A river of drink for their all too thirsty appetites.
All she knew was that she didn't want to become one. She didn't want to stop being herself… to disintegrate into a flesh eating, inhuman, decomposing monster. And she certainly didn't want to be eaten. It's one thing to dodge a weapon… it's another to dodge a mouth.
'It's getting to me. They're getting to me' She thought. She knew she was getting carried away by fear- by the unexpected. 'I was always taught to expect the unexpected' she thought sardonically, 'who could have expected this? What am I supposed to do?' She felt her heart race more as her thoughts turned to panic. "Stop." She whispered, taking a slow deep breath. "Think." She closed her eyes, and for a moment she felt panic rise in her, worrying that closing her eyes would allow them admittance into her hideout.
They had entered the hall from behind the tapestry. Everywhere was dark. Dim lights lit up certain halls. They'd split into two groups: Sakura and Kiba, She and Neji. Sakura's group left, her group right. They passed hallways and checked rooms….and then they were surrounded. Out of nowhere. She remembered hearing herself screaming and yelling at Neji… She could still hear his voice… yelling. He never yelled… She heard him scream her name.. and 'Run! Get out of here!'. That was last she heard of him. She caught glimpses of him in her memory…his long hair. She could only see him out of the corner of her eye, but she really paid no attention. She was too caught up in her own battle. They were too close to her. The smell was overpowering. Their skin…
Her eyes flew open. She couldn't stay here. She couldn't leave without him. She'd abandoned Neji. Or had he abandoned her? One side of her knew it was all lost. Everyone had died. She was the only one left. She knew it.
She didn't know it. Sakura had survived…and Tenten herself had just found this closet. But hiding places could never be permanent. They don't get you out. She took one final breath, unsure of her plan, but knowing that hiding out would get her nowhere.
With a trembling hand she took out her kunai (Why didn't she have anything bigger?) and slowly reached for the closet handle. Placing her ear on door she listened. No sound but her heart. She felt like her whole body was moving to the beat. It was frustratingly distracting. She turned the handle and pushed. The door crept open without a sound. She took a cautious step forward and, checking her surroundings, continued on. Impatience tried constantly to get the best of her. Her body screamed for her to run, but she walked slowly, quietly, and kept her breathing in check. She was lost. Running would only lead her to panic and become more lost.
He had been here over an hour. Sakura and Naruto were lost. Or he was lost. He lost them. They were all lost. But all was not lost. He didn't know how to get out. He didn't know what these things were; only they used to be people. He reasoned it was a disease of sorts, since this whole based seemed to be a hospital or maybe even a science lab, and everyone- the doctors and the patients (or subjects) - was infected. And the infection was particularly peculiar. They had eaten each other- that he could from the bite marks and blood on their mouths- it was everywhere really, there had been quite a struggle. But the interesting thing was that they didn't eat each other now. They wanted fresh meat. Uninfected meat. His meat. And Sakura and Naruto's.
Of course, that wasn't going to fly with him. After they had all been separated he had spent some time searching for them. That proved difficult with all the diseased hoards crowding the hallways. More than once he had found himself in a pickle.
The worst was when they grabbed him. They always seemed to corner him. The smells and the sounds got meshed together; it was hard to tell where they were coming from. It was easy for them to sneak up on him… and they didn't have chakra signatures. If one was by itself, he could handle it. But they were almost never alone. Fortunately his shadow jutsu proved to be quite handy when he found himself surrounded. Despite the darkly lit halls, there was still light enough for shadow work.
The masses were so dense and he found himself in so many close calls he was finding himself thinking only along one line. Sakura and Naruto were probably infected. Or they got out. No matter what, something needed to be done to about these…he didn't want to call them people. They needed to be exterminated. He had plan.
Concentrating his chakra at his feet he crept further along the ceiling. Reaching into his pouch he pulled out an explosive tag and stuck it to the wall. He did this every hundred meters, but who was counting? He only hoped his plan would work.
A kunai zipped by her face, she felt a sting as warm began to blood pool on her cheek. "Hey!" Tenten hissed. "It's me" She had no idea who had thrown the weapon. She only assumed, and hoped to God, that it was someone who could identify her when she said 'me'. She didn't want to have to deal with two enemies. Her eyes widened at the thought of the Infected wielding kunai…
Footsteps were rushing toward her. She got out her own kunai and readied herself.
A growl behind her. She turned quickly just as the it shrieked and rushed toward her. She slashed the air and the growling figure lunged on her, knocking the two of them to the ground. She struggled against it's writhing form, a hand on it's neck. It was trying so desperately to dig it's dirty teeth in. She couldn't get a grip on her kunai. Her other hand wasn't strong enough to keep its hold. The teeth were closing in, she turned her face away and closed her eyes. She wasn't giving in; she struggled.
The footsteps were closing in.
Then, suddenly the weight was off her. She rolled to her feet and backed to the wall, finally able to grip her kunai- one in each hand. "Naruto" She breathed in recognition as she watched the blond haired boy stick a kunai through the Infected's head. "Naruto" She said again. Her relief was immense. She almost collapsed to the floor, but let her hands fall to her sides instead.
He turned to her. "Tenten!" rushing to her with his hands outstretched, they embraced. "I was beginning to wonder if I would see anyone alive again. These people, it's like they're dead. I mean, they smell dead, don't you think?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know" She didn't care what he said. She was glad her friend was alive and with her.
"What are you doing here? Who else is here? Where are they?" Naruto asked.
"I don't know. I don't know. We're here to find you. Where's Shikamaru? These things are going to destroy Konoha, we have to get out of here." She wasn't thinking about the words she was saying. Her brain was blank and her body was energized.
"I don't know where he is. Honestly, I want nothing more than to get out of here. But we can't leave without the others. Who else is here?"
"It was a mistake to split up. Neji, Kiba, Sakura, but I don't know where they are. We split up to find you two, but that was a mistake obviously."
"Sh." Naruto placed his hand up to her mouth.
She grabbed it and spun around, so they were back to back. Her heart raced, her kunai was in place. She saw about a dozen of the Infected walking toward her.
"We're surrounded" He said.
"This way!" She pulled him to her left and they ran together down an adjacent hall. The Infected's shrieks grew loud as their dinner eluded them. They lurched after the two ninja, following at a quicker rate, tripping over one another and throwing themselves off balance. Nevertheless, they made ground. They kept their eyes on their targets.
"Come on." Naruto said, tugging her down another corridor.
There was a scream. Naruto stopped. A dog was barking, its growls conflicting with those of the previously human race.
"KIBA!" a horrifying note hung in the air. A melody of terror accentuating the very reality of their situation. That they were vulnerable, and their lives so very fragile…
"SAKURA!" Naruto bellowed, taking off and dragging a willing Tenten with him. Time accelerated. Everything around them seemed to accelerate. Even the enemy.
But they couldn't seem to get there fast enough.
They were running toward Infected now, even passing some. One latched onto Tenten's arm. Giving her whiplash as her momentum went forward, along with Naruto, and the Infected pulled her back. It wasted no time in trying for a taste. Her anger and concern for her friends kept her in check. She was focused. Thinking only of Kiba, she let go of Naruto and sent her fist flying straight into its face. No one was dying down here or becoming dehumanized. They were all too important.
Naruto hadn't waited for her. She tried not to blame him, and rushed after him, dodging the hands that reached out, grasping at her arms. She kept her eyes on Naruto's bright form. They were closing in behind her, and those in front of her were beginning to find interest in her. Pooling her chakra in her feet she jumped up, running along the side wall surpassing many heads, before landing back on the ground, and sprinting onward.
'Please don't be dead' She thought, her nervousness only made her run faster, and dodge more easily. She came upon Naruto soon enough, just in time for them to round the corner on the scene of a hoard of Infected. Tenten could just barely see a spot of pink among the masses.
Hands grabbed around her waste and tugged on her arms. She felt hair brush the right side of her face and she yelped, jumping away- only to find herself colliding with more bodies.
Yet, she couldn't think of herself- only Sakura's terrified scream: 'KIBA!'. She her eye's searched frantically as she shoved dying bodies off of her, using her kunai to stab those in front of her.
"Watch yourself" Someone said, taking down an Infected behind her.
She spun around, Kiba's rigid, blood splattered face appeared before her. Her breath caught in her lungs for a second and she smiled. Turning, each of them continued their battles back to back.
"We can't stay like this. They're just going to keep coming. There were too many following after me and Naruto, they'll only add to this. We have to get out of her." Tenten said, twirling around to deliver a swift kick to the head of one Infected, knocking it back into another.
"I know." Kiba growled, chopping another's head in half with his machete. "Where's Neji?" His eyes scanned the area, not like there was much they could see past the gathering around them.
Tenten didn't reply. The stinking masses were closing in on them. They were in constant danger of being bitten. They were so close she couldn't seem to get a solid hit on any of them, but just pushed them back a little. Her skin was brushing with their skin. Their breath was teasing her neck. She yelled in frustration.
Suddenly the ground beneath their feet was shaking. The Infected were falling on her. She steadied herself by directing chakra to her feet and continued shoving the living corpses away from her.
"What's happening?" Tenten heard Naruto yell.
She was relieved he was still alive, and sought for Sakura for a second before detaining the thing that just latched onto her leg. She stomped on its head, losing her balance she tackled another to the ground and stabbed its brain. A hand picked her up- Kiba raising her to her feet to fight beside him. "Thanks" She said, turning to fight.
The rumbling continued and the shaking got worse. Suddenly hall she and Naruto had come from collapsed in on itself, burying the Infected coming from there in a pile of rubble. Her eyes widened, after sharing a glance with Kiba, she said, "run". And they turned on heel, the wall beside them blew in just as they turned to trample over the Infected.
"GO!" Kiba yelled, shoving Infected out of his way as he and Tenten ran toward Sakura and Naruto.
The ceiling was falling, the walls were blowing in. Rubble flew in all directions, knocking Infected in the head and smashing into them as they stumbled forward. A piece of brick smashed into Naruto's side, sending him into a flesh-eater. Others took advantage of the situation, dragging Naruto down. As he ran by, Kiba took hold of his shirt and tugged him up. Naruto's feet collided with the floor and he picked up the pace. "Thanks" He said.
"RIGHT!" They heard Sakura yell from somewhere up ahead.
The debris made it difficult to see, they pressed on tripping over and being bombarded with rock. Thankfully, the Infected couldn't steady themselves enough to move along a shaking platform. It didn't stop them, however, from grabbing the team's feet as they ran by. They almost missed the hallway to the right Sakura had directed them toward. Naruto stopped short, grabbing Kiba's arm, who grabbed Tenten, and they switched direction.
The hallway was mostly unaffected by the quake. Sakura was waiting for them. "This might be a way out." Sakura said. "Come on."
She was right. The hall was short. The door at the end was heavy and lead to a grassy downward slope. Naruto brought up the rear, shutting the door behind them, which on the outside was covered with grass to conceal it. "What the hell happened in there?" He asked, sitting down.
"Get up." Kiba said. "We have to go to Konoha. Those things are probably there, infecting everyone."
Naruto looked at him with a blank expression. He shook his head. "I guess I just thought that was an isolated event…"
"How…? I mean, it looks like things got uncontrollable down there. I don't think the base was meant to be overrun." Sakura said.
"We found files. Kiba found a book; it mapped out a tunnel that leads from this base to Konoha. Those things have probably already traveled there." Tenten argued.
"There was another base too. They might have had more control there." Kiba added.
Sakura eyed the ground, "I just don't want to face them again."
They were silent. Tenten was surprised she had even made it out alive. She remembered hiding in the closet, unwilling to leave at first. "But we have to do something."
"I know. It's more than just a duty. My family is there… and our friends. Selfishly, I'm just not ready." Sakura expounded.
"Where's Akamaru?" Naruto's quiet voice suddenly raised the question.
They all looked at Kiba, Sakura's hand touched his shoulder. His eyes were downcast; his shoulders slumped. He remained silent.
Sakura shook her head. Akamaru didn't make it through the hoard.
"It wasn't a place for a dog." He mumbled.
"And Neji? Shikamaru?" Naruto asked.
"We can't go back in." Tenten said.
Naruto glared at her.
"She's right. The whole place collapsed in on itself. They….they wouldn't have made it. Or even if they did, we can't get in- this hall is closed off." Kiba defended, gesturing behind Naruto.
"I know." He said looking down. "It just sounded so cold hearted." He said, looking up at Tenten.
She opened her mouth and then closed it, feeling somewhat ashamed at how quickly she shot down a rescue plan, before it was even really mentioned. "It's not that I don't want to rescue them. It's just that we can't. And knowing the two of them, they probably already made it out." She tried not to think of the hoard that trapped her and Neji. The last time she saw or heard him he was surrounded….
But of course he made it out. If she did, then he did- and he did it ten times as well as she.
"They're both smart and capable ninja. They're fine." Tenten said determinedly, looking Naruto straight in eye.
"You believe that?" Naruto asked.
"Do you not?" She countered.
I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. Do you love it? Hate it?
I feel sad about Akamaru, but there was just no way he'd make it. And I kept forgetting to write him in anyway…