Chapter 94: Fresh inmates

The ride was short and their arrival even shorter.

Usually Izaya would be happy about having to cover little ground with an injured person on the backseat, but considering no one knew what exactly it was that the priest had in mind he would have preferred a far longer ride.

Rolling right up to the mall, the parked van came into sight first and along with it Kadota.

Whether he had been appointed as a guard for the night and simply remained until morning or just happened to take a piss was something Izaya couldn't tell at a single glance.

What he could see, however, was the relief he showed and the quick knocks he delivered against the back of the van's doors.

Quickly, like ants leaving their den in order to defeat a common enemy, the group slipped out of the car.

Namie, Vorona and even Karisawa. Slowly, but steadily she made her way out in careful steps, relieving Izaya in one way or another.

It appeared she was getting better.

"Izaya-" Kadota moved up towards their car as soon as the engine stopped and the driver's door opened.

"Are you okay?" Karisawa was the next to ask, worriedly approaching from the front, but Izaya had nothing but smiles to show as he rose from his seat. Because they didn't know just how beneficial this trip had been and they probably would never find out until the day he overtook the priest's god damn mall.

"More than okay," Izaya grinned instead of spreading the news about Kujiragi and her advances on the antidote.

"Wipe that creepy ass smile off your face," Only Namie seemed to be irritated by his expression as she rolled her eyes with a questioning glance. But even she couldn't quite hide a smile from her lips.

As the one most likely to somewhat guess Izaya's plan she realized that Izaya's good mood was most likely deferred from the fact that his preparations were proceeding smoothly.

Vorona was more on the worrisome side as she looked at Shizuo. "I take it you succeeded?"

Opening the backdoor he was pulling Masaki from his seat.

"Of course we did," he announced, and pulled their goal from his confines.

It was just then, at the right moment one could surmise, that the priest added his holy presence to the scene.

The guards standing on top had of course been watching out for zombies, just as Kadota had, and spotted Izaya's return around the same time.

Having climbed down to the front he just so happened to approach at the very moment Masaki laid eyes upon Izaya's group and showed exactly what Izaya had anticipated.

Surprise.

This bastard's intention had never been to save Masaki at all.

"Freshly delivered right from the bridge," Izaya announced, well aware that he had acted against the priest's order to a certain degree, but who was to blame him when he had a witness he couldn't have run his mouth?

A bit perplexed and awfully wordless the priest looked at Maskai. He seemed to be assessing his injuries and estimated time to die- which was hopefully not anytime soon as his wound had been treated as well as possible.

"... you brought him back?" the bastard asked half heartedly and Izaya couldn't help but feel a winning sensation drawing his lips into a sneer.

"Just as you asked."

Laughter.

That's what the priest showed in a sudden burst and Izaya blinked.

"Well done!" he exclaimed with much more positivity than expected. "Exceedingly well done actually," he sighed, shaking his head slowly in time to his controversial praise. "You deserve a reward for that."

"Seriously?" It was Shijima who obviously had issues with the priest's announcement. Tagging along with the bastard like a tick craving to suck its own share of blood he was almost always to be found at the priest's side.

And the same was true right now.

Facing, what the priest considered one of his lambs, he looked at Shijima before casting a benevolent smile.

"My dear lamb, envy doesn't suit you. Look at how hard they are working for our lord's favor. Their actions have to be appreciated, don't you think?"

Izaya's eyes narrowed as soon as he heard those words.

He didn't like them one bit. A reward from the priest? Might as well be some zombie infected meal that was going to turn them all.

Namie seemed unsettled by the offer as well, and also somewhat confused by the priest's odd reaction. Which made sense. Since they had no idea what it was that the priest truly had been planning.

"Reward?" Izaya asked and the priest pointed towards the mall with the sweetest smile he had ever shown.

"Welcome to our home."

Home.

As if.

Looking at the mall, Izaya's eyes narrowed. Of course there was no arguing that between the van's insides and the mall's interior there was only one option, actually safe from the flatworms and fungi roaming around.

In terms of structure and safety, it might truly have been a home. Almost as suitable as the library Izaya and Shizuo had secured.

But this hideout was filled to the brim with people following each and every last of this priest's orders and that changed the situation entirely.

"You want us to move in there?" Izaya repeated, showing his disdain on purpose, in hope the priest would retract his offer.

But sooner than intended he realized this was in fact no offer.

"It will be much better and safer than outside, no?" the priest asked, and more people streamed from the inside of the mall.

Izaya understood.

This was no question, it was an order.

"Izaya," Shizuo whispered, but Izaya quickly shook his head. This was not the time nor the place to act against the priest's orders.

As far as they knew this bastard had some people on standby, just waiting to shoot their heads in one clean blow, the second they decided to act against the priest.

Or maybe they would fetch one of the zombie dog's they trained and simply let it loose inside their van once they slept.

It would surely manage to bite at least one of them before they had a change to put it down.

No.

Acting against his orders was not an option.

At least not yet.

And so Izaya showed a smile. Appreciative, and lacking all opposition he felt.

"How generous of you."

Namie seemed far from pleased by this turn of events, but even she seemed to recognize that this was not the time to run her mouth and the priest laughed.

"Right?" and with that he turned, towards his devoted believers that had streamed from the mall. "If you were so kind to guide them to their new rooms?" he ordered and with that he was gone.

Back to the mall, with not a single word lost about the device Izaya failed to fetch.

He didn't know what to make of the priest's reaction.

Did he believe Izaya hadn't recognized the object?

Or was he misled into thinking Izaya never saw it and Masaki was simply keeping his previous order a secret?

Either assumption was playing right into his hands, and so they moved.

Slowly, to make sure Karisawa could follow without tearing her freshly healing wound open once more. Namie was right at her side, supporting her as they approached the side of the mall.

Izaya had been led inside once already, and quickly recognized the maze of fire exits and array of doors passed.

He wondered if it was the only entrance apart from the clear access from the roof.

And quick enough they arrived inside the multistory mall.

Nothing had changed. At least not from what Izaya could tell.

Supplies, cars, weapons, everything of physical use was stored on the bottom floor from what he could see. The first floor seemed to be some kind of living space as more and more of the store's interior had changed their insides for a more comfortable outlook of beds and furnishing.

It was the second floor that still brought goosebumps down Izaya's neck as he glanced upwards.

Unnatural silence perturbed by sounds of stifled groans was all he could discern and his imagination ran wild with a variety of ideas.

If the priest was trying to extract the virus from the flatworms and fungi, then he had to have at least one sample of each, suffering the fat of an eternal blood bank.

Izaya supposed the floor was being used for his research, for producing more zombie dogs, abiding his will- and yet somehow he had a feeling that wasn't all this floor had to it.

"Here we are. Make yourself at home as you see fit," one of the guys leading them announced and Izaya found himself looking at a small bakery.

An oven on the side along with a display meant to show off the food they had already made sat at the right of the room and a couple tables drew a line towards the back, which opened into a slightly bigger space.

It was clear as daylight that bringing them here had been a last minute decision taken by the priest and nothing that had been planned ahead, but that worked in Izaya's favor.

"Thank you very much," he announced, and the guy only showed a scrunched expression, before moving to the side.

Eyes.

Izaya could see them.

All around the mall, looking right at them.

"Reward. What a joke." Namie whispered. "I feel imprisoned."

"And stalked," Izaya nodded towards a set of guys, loitering around the guardrail separating the first floor and the one below.

Guys.

No matter where he looked, Izaya saw nothing but males.

It made sense, that the stronger gender in terms of raw strength was going to have an easier time surviving, but seeing not a single woman in here was a bit extreme.

Extreme to a point that caused Izaya to wonder what happened to them and close in on Karisawa and Namie.

Three pretty women in a mall filled with sex deprived men.

Izaya somehow understood why Shijima would happily fuck a female corpse by now.

Namie seemed to get a similar vibe from their surroundings.

"I don't like this," she announced quietly and pulled Karisawa to the back.

"Kadota," Izaya said, and as expected the guy was right by his side the second he called. "Sleep. I want you to take the first shift tonight."

There was no reason to explain, nor any need to go into details. This place was probably worse than outside. Izaya was far from expecting safety from any zombies and even farther from expecting safety from their inmates.

Because that's what they all were at this point.

Prisoners.

Kept only to receive orders and act upon them.

"Here?" Karisawa whispered and looked towards the back. But the tables used for dining guests were already being moved to the side by Shizuo and a couple benches mounted to the walls provided at least somewhat of a chance to lay down.

"I will take the first," Vorona suddenly announced, and naturally moved to the front of the bakery, as if she weren't the one being preyed on with greedy eyes and Namie clicked her tongue.

"This situation is getting shittier by the second," she announced with a frown and looked at Izaya. "What are you going to do about it?"

But all Izaya had to offer was a simple shrug.

"Nothing."

Had he announced that he had suddenly learned to fly on their trip beyond the priest's mall, Namie would have probably been readier to believe his words than now.

Bewilderment reflected in her eyes as she looked at Izaya as though he had finally gone insane.

"Huh?" she asked, but Izaya seemed awfully compliant and not willing to discuss or even talk about a decision he had apparently already made.

Crossing her arms the woman glared. "Since when are you this compliant? Did you give up?"

And Izaya shrugged.

Simple.

As if someone had asked him whether he wanted a bite of their meal and declined. "Yup. Entirely," he agreed and looked up with a shrug. "I mean think about it, this isn't too bad actually. We are safe from zombies at night, we get some food and shelter too. It could really be worse."

It was Vorona who stormed the conversation, having heard most of it, and a similar expression of anger ruled her face.

"Are you fucking serio-" but against all odds, it was Namie that held her back.

Her eyes had lost their anger, and instead she looked at Izaya with utmost curiosity.

Izaya never called the flatworms and fungi, zombies.

It was a word he despised and found to be horrendously inaccurate of their current situation.

So why use it?

Because they were being listened to.

Obviously.

By someone that Izaya had either spotted, or assumed to be there and so she quickly nodded, in nothing but absolute agreement.

"I hate to admit it, but he is right."

Vorona couldn't have been more perplexed even if she tried as she looked at Namie.

"What?" But something about her- was it her glance? Her demeanor? The way she told Vorona to shut up without speaking? It told her to keep her mouth shut, and so she did.

Even Karisawa seemed to be able to read between the lines as the unnatural silence between them grew.

"Can you help me, Vorona?" she called and pointed to the back. "I think rearranging those desks would provide a much better sense of safety, don't you think?" she was obviously bullshitting.

But effective nonetheless.

Their situation was as bad as it could be. They were being surveilled, trapped and unable to act in any way. In one way or another they had managed to attain the same fate Shinra was succumbing to at the moment, just with less injuries and a larger bit of space.

And yet- Lips curling into a grin Izaya couldn't help but smile.

They would be sent out again.

For a mission.

And considering how much the priest disliked him there was a high chance he was going to be chosen as the one to be sent away. Either with or without Shizuo.

But that was exactly what he was aiming for.

A few days. Maybe a week or two.

He knew Kujiragi's character. Obsessive. Dedicated. And Intelligent to boot. She was going to achieve their goal in no time and then-

"Why do you seem so goddamn confident?" Namie suddenly whispered.

She had leaned in, under the pretense of observing the bakery's display.

"Do I?" Izaya grinned back, and Namie relaxed. She had known Izaya for a while now.

And a smile like that was not one he showed when he was cornered, but ready to strike.

to be continued~

Oh well, guess Shinra is still having a worse time considering he has been left all alone in his tiny cell xD Imagine the boredom. xDD

Now, now, the pieces are slowly starting to align. What is it that the priest is doing on the top floor of the mall?

Will Kujiragi manage to develop her antidote working against both the virus and the parasite?

Ah and of course- what do we have here- a yet to be freshly served surprise of tragedy and regret C:

See you next friday everyone~ xDDDD