Haruhi crouched low behind the bushes in the low light of the rising sun. She breathed hard and fast into her hands as she squinted at the darkened subway port she had just escaped from. Kaoru had to be okay. He had to. Any moment now he would stagger up those chipped steps, telling her what needed to be done next.
On the other hand, if he didn't come out… her stomach dropped and she gulped fearfully. Being alone out here and the thought of Kaoru dying in the tracks was not a pretty thought. Her eyes stung and warmed.
She sat there in her hiding spot for what seemed like forever, but she knew it had only been minutes that ticked by. The sun was just visible over the buildings that towered around her. Haruhi almost expected the birds to begin to sing. They didn't.
Suddenly Haruhi was startled by loud sirens tearing the air with their high-pitched squealing. Slapping her hands to her ears, she crouched further into the bushes, terrified. What was going on? Why would they play the alarms meant for evacuation?
Footsteps sounded from somewhere further down the sidewalk, walking hurriedly in her direction. Haruhi curled her hands away from her head and strained to hear the voices above the sirens.
"The orders were to take out all infected on sight. All citizens outside of the Sanctuaries are assumed to be under the Red Plague. Under no circumstances are you to hesitate in firing the poison, understood?" a voice called loudly. Haruhi moved her head upwards over the bush, glancing at the group coming farther up the walk.
"Understood," five men replied automatically. Haruhi gasped, looking at them. They had to be from government. But were they really going to wipe out anyone outside? The six men wore bright yellow suits, covering every inch of their bodies, and they held guns at the ready. They meant business.
Haruhi ducked back down before they could see her and covered her breathing with her hands once again. Not good. She had to get back to Kaoru before they did anything to him… but the men were heading in the exact direction of the subway.
"Hey!" a voice cried, startling Haruhi. She stared heavily through the branches to see three men emerge from the subway. Her breathing caught; they were the same ones that had attacked Kaoru earlier. The yellow suits turned in the newcomers' direction. "Hey are you here to help us?" one of the men asked the yellow suits.
The tallest of the yellow suits turned to the others. "This will be a practice run for you men, first extermination of the day. Get to it."
A yellow suit brushed by Haruhi's bush and approached the men, clicking his safety lock off subtly. Haruhi shook with fear. Whatever the yellow suits were going to do here wasn't good. So she backed away quietly; her eyes darted from person to person until she turned and ran silently to the brick wall closest to the road. She paused and looked back, checking for anyone watching. They weren't; the two groups were focused entirely on each other and their voices floated indistinguishably to Haruhi's ears.
She turned back to the wall, gaging its height against her own. Supposing she could reach it, Haruhi jumped and grabbed ahold to the top of the wall. Free of the weight of her abandoned backpack, she hoisted herself up to the top with wobbly arms. Haruhi swung a leg up and stopped sitting on the wall.
A loud, echoing gunshot turned Haruhi's attention back to the group in an instant. The yellow suits were gathered around the three men. One suit held a smoking gun and a small black ball bounced its way to them men's feet. The instant it rolled to a stop, a thick yellow vaporous cloud erupted from it, rising quickly and spreading fast. Haruhi watched in horror as the three men instantly began coughing, clutching at their throats. One dropped lifelessly onto the pavement, his eyes staring hollowly into the sky. Haruhi didn't spare another second; she swung over to the other side of the wall.
Sometime later—maybe an hour or two, Haruhi wasn't exactly sure—she watched the yellow vapor disappear. The poison had lingered long after the three men had died and the suits had moved on. She had watched carefully from the roof of a neighboring office building, waiting for a chance to approach the subway. It had taken longer than she had expected.
Now she walked cautiously toward the bodies in the street. She sucked in a deep breath and held it as she bolted by, not taking any chances. Haruhi stumbled uneasily down the concrete steps, away from the fresh morning light into the gathering darkness. She wouldn't forgive herself if Kaoru was dead.
The sudden darkness was unsettling. She didn't have a flashlight this time. Arriving at the turnstiles, she hopped neatly over, just as before and continued to the tracks. She jumped in without hesitation, eager to get back to Kaoru. Haruhi landed hard, wracking her ankles with small prickling pain. Rubbing them once, she stood and rushed down the subway towards the last place she had seen him.
It was a long trek, and she stumbled a few times, but she made it to the dull embers of their fire. She stared at the empty concrete around it; her pack was gone. Sighing once, she continued down the subway until she reached a second dying fire. Glancing around, she saw no one and nothing. Not a clue of who had been there… except for the bloody mess stained into the concrete.
Haruhi squatted down and ran her rough fingers against the dried blood before glancing into the never-ending darkness. "Oh Kaoru," she whispered to herself, "Where did you go?" Her words echoed.
Shorter chapter and late update... I hate myself.