Chapter 93: Act
Blinking against the bright light of a sunny day that was for once not perturbed by annoying clouds, Shizuo raised his palm towards the blinding sun.
The small window to the side happened to be located in the east it appeared and caused specks of dust hovering midair to add a faint aura of magic to the sleeping bodies on the floor.
Kujiragi had been exhausted. More physically than mentally after forging their newest plans for the future, but exhausted nonetheless. The same accounted for Izaya.
Watching his chest move ever so slightly and peacefully, Shizuo let his head tip against the doorframe.
Their plans- he wasn't quite sure how to feel about them.
Anticipation, odd motivation and hope sprouted in his chest as much as his fear did. Fear of what could go wrong.
He had seen Izaya's eyes. Had seen the way his face lit up at the prospect of a secure future free of the priest's believers and any fungi or flatworms.
But exactly because of that Shizuo couldn't help but feel a sense of impending doom.
He felt like he was playing the final round of a game. The one that decided the outcome, the winner of it all. No matter his previous efforts or achievements- if they fucked up this one last round then everything would have been in vain.
Everything.
Izaya was not the type to lose his cool, but Shizuo wasn't too sure about Kujiragi. About the rest of the group.
And slowly, but surely he started to understand why Izaya never disclosed more than absolutely necessary. He didn't want anyone to lose their cool in the most important moments.
Funny. He had always rolled his eyes at his damned secrecy and refusal to tell what was going on in his fucked up mind, but right now he found himself emphasizing with that idea more than he liked.
A glance was cast towards Masaki, who had stirred lightly in his sleep and Shizuo's body tensed for a second.
It had been a long night.
After going over the details of something that Shizuo had no idea how to follow, the two self proclaimed saviors of humanity had eventually met the end of their reserves.
Sleep was something all too readily skipped despite its necessity and Shizuo had been the one to declare himself a volunteer as a lookout for the first half of the night.
Of course without the intention to ever change shifts with any of them.
He had a feeling Izaya already knew the second he suggested himself, but it seemed he had come to terms with it.
Cool air spread from the outside and Shizuo rubbed his upper arms in an effort to retain some warmth.
He sure was missing electricity. Less for the light and more for the warmth, but he was. The cold that sept past the glass and filled the room with its unpleasant presence was something he would have liked to dispose of.
Shizuo hadn't paid much attention when the virus started spreading. The news had been delivering vastly positive reports anyway and he didn't really pay them any mind.
It was when schools started shutting down due to children dying and the power plants were shut down due to lack of employees, that he really started to notice something was off.
Something was changing. And it wasn't for the better.
His brother had called just when Shizuo listened to a newsreport about some doctor's death. He had told him to stay where he was and that he would fetch him.
And then…
Closing his eyes for a second Shizuo tried to chase away the frown on his forehead.
Kasuka. His girlfriend. Tom. They had gathered everyone they knew and cared about. he could still remember the way they walked down the streets, so damn carelessly and relaxed.
Kasuka had called a helicopter. A friend of his as he had said, but Shizuo suspected he had just paid the man to fetch them.
At that point in time Shizuo didn't understand. He thought his brother was overreacting. He thought the virus was just another funny story making the news to supply people with topics to talk about.
It was when the helicopter didn't turn up and Kasuka grew more and more nervous that even Shizuo started to understand the direness of their situation.
Their mistake of walking up onto the roof of a highrise.
Their mistake of not having checked first whether any zombies were following them close by.
And it was Shizuo's mistake of not having looking out for his brother that got him bitten without him even seeing it.
Because the moment he turned around it was already too late.
Feeling his mind take a turn for even worse memories Shizuo quickly shook his head with a soft groan and opened his eyes again.
Regret still colored his past and it would forever continue to do so.
But he got another chance.
Looking towards Izaya his hands unintentionally clenched into fists.
This time he would protect what he loved.
No matter the cost.
"Ah. Good morning." Groggy words mumbled from the side revealed the first one to wake from their slumber. Funnily enough it was the one person that should have been off the worst.
Rolling to his side in a motion as slow as humanly possible, Masaki pushed himself up.
"I don't think you should move," Shizuo argued quickly upon noticing the way his expression churned, but the guy was quick to wave him off.
"Well, I doubt you will carry me all the way back," he smiled, whether it was out of politeness or in an attempt to garner his favor was something Shizuo couldn't tell.
"I carried you here, what's the issue?" he merely shrugged and Madaki showed a bitter smile.
"Luck is the issue. Did you not run into any zombies on the way?"
Right.
His group had been surprised by the newly mutated flatworms stepping into daylight.
"We ran into a hoard of the fast ones," Shizuo replied truthfully and Masaki stiffened upon the idea. "Managed to escape and killed them all. Izaya said there will be no new zombies coming to this place for a while now," Shizuo continued and Masaki's expression showed a variety of emotions at once.
"You killed… a fast one? Multiple of them?" He repeated in what seemed to be absolute astonishment.
"Yeah?" he replied, and for a brief moment Shizuo forgot that blowing off one of those creatures' heads was not something anyone could accomplish.
Most people facing a flatworm most probably died or survived by a hair.
Their own survival had only been a succession of dumb decisions taken in the right moment.
But his nonchalant answer seemed to have at least put the guy at ease.
Lowering his body back onto the ground he closed his eyes with a sigh and the faintest hint of a smile.
"Alright, I will do what you say. No questions asked," he snorted, and as if on cue the noise seemed to have been disruptive enough to wake the true mastermind of their group.
"Who is asking questions?" Izaya yawned as he rose from his own spot. Curled up as a cat as he had been, clutching another blanket they had found in the closet, he provided quite the funny sight paired with bed hair and a loving drowsiness.
And funnily enough Kujiragi was mimicking a similar response.
Looking at Shizuo as though he was the culprit that had woken them from their slumber he snorted.
Funny they even woke up in a similar way.
"Good morning," Shizuo announced and Izaya threw a quick smile into his direction before blinking against the annoying rays of sunlight.
"Can't say I appreciate you skipping on your sleep," he announced, referring to the way Shizuo and him were supposed to take turns, but his tone vastly lacked its actual scolding nature.
"I can sleep once we are back at the van," Shizuo shrugged and the only woman in the room sighed.
"Sleep, food, clothes- funny how civilization reverted to a state where nourishment, safety and shelter are the top priorities."
Suppressing another yawn the woman moved over to one of the hidden shelves behind the sliding door.
Clothes, or rather, uniforms were pulled out and Shizuo raised a brow as he was tossed a set of them. "What are you doing?" he asked, and the woman snorted.
"Have you taken a look at yourself?"
Caught by surprise, Shizuo glanced at his body. The bartender uniform he had been given had survived quite the vast amount of assaults. But despite its obvious survival it still bore too many stains and tears.
"Your style might not have changed but the fabric's condition did." Kujiragi pointed out and Shizuo looked at the uniform he had been tossed.
It was entirely black with a red dragon delicately decorating the front right as the sole exception.
"One more expedition and you will look just like the zombies crawling around," Kujiragi added and Shizuo smiled. The uniform Izaya had handed him had been a memento of nostalgia and maybe he should have felt sad over the clothes being wasted like this, but somehow he felt oddly at ease.
Maybe because it wasn't the past he was clinging to anymore, but the future.
"Not too wrong, I agree."
And another batch was tossed towards Izaya. "Get changed. The faster you are, the faster we can leave," Izaya agreed and Kujiragi frowned.
"You are leaving?" she asked and Izaya cast a tired glance.
"We have to head back. I would offer you to join our rows but…"
An act.
Even Shizuo realized they were simply pretending to part ways forever now that Masaki was awake.
"I would much rather prefer walking down my own road without restraints," Kujiragi shrugged as if she were about to leave and simply survive when it was the opposite that she was about to do.
Head towards the underground station. Analyze the virus and analyze Izaya's blood. Those were the instructions she had been given.
And she was ready to do so, because as much as they had talked the day before they had not only stopped at theories and plans but already moved in action. Glad to have brought along much more than needed, Kujiragi had taken some of Izaya's liberating blood with a needle and a temporary container.
The working freezer in the back had been abused to serve the right temperature for it to be stored and now getting up from the ground she was about to fetch it and get to work.
"Alright then I guess that's it," she announced and cast a meaningful glance towards Izaya. "I hope we will meet again," she announced, and Izaya grinned. "Me too."
The act couldn't have been better and their actions not smoother as they continued according to their plan.
Discarding his torn pants and slipping into the new set of clothes Shizuo duly noted that the owner of the Izakaya seemed to have had a similar stature to his own, seeing how it was a perfect fit. Glancing towards Izaya he hummed as he noticed he had also finished putting on his new clothes.
Slim lines of red decorated the rims of their sleeves and pants, drawing flattering curves to Izaya's figure. It might have been the fact that it was Izaya, or the simple truth of Shizuo loving him, but somehow Shizuo couldn't help but think that they really enhanced his attractiveness.
"Now, let's move, shall we?" Izaya announced as soon as Kujiragi was gone and Masaki nodded before pushing at the ground.
A wince immediately disturbed his expression and Shizuo rolled his eyes.
"Not you," he announced curtly and approached their injured guest.
"Are you planning to carry me all the way back?" he joked, but ended up quite flabbergasted when Shizuo did just that.
Picked up like a weed freshly pulled from its earth he blinked as Shizuo addressed Izaya.
"No, I think just to the next car, right?" he asked and Izaya nodded before carefully looking down the corridor.
He didn't really expect any flatworms or fungi inside the Izakaya. Especially since Kujiragi had left barely a few moments prior. Had she stumbled into any hindrance they would have surely heard it.
But better safe than sorry, right?
"Should be easy to find one," Izaya announced, and sooner than expected the three found themselves outside on the street.
The front door was closed once more in an attempt to keep any fungi or flatworms out. They never knew whether it would come in handy to have a good place to spend the night in.
And Ootoro.
Although the latter was probably only important to Izaya.
Eyes narrowing Shizuo scanned their surroundings.
The streets were as empty as the day before, which only supported Izaya's suggestions of deadly hotspots. Not sure whether to appreciate the zombies' intelligence to avoid an area that brought death to them or not, Shizuo simply followed Izaya as he steered right into the direction of a car.
It probably belonged to the shop as the Izakaya's name, address and phone number were painted on its side.
A keychain showing a piece of sushi and beer were dangling from the rear window as Izaya adjusted it and Shizuo opened the back.
He had long abandoned any qualms about stealing other's property, and the speed at which Izaya hotwired the car was only appreciated as he dropped Masaki in the back.
"Alright get in," Izaya announced and Shizuo did as he joined in the front.
It was funny.
Without any zombies around and the Masaki in the back their current situation felt more like a road trip than anything else.
It was when the car started moving and the soft wind of a half open window combed through the stale air inside the vehicle that Masaki sighed.
"... say do we have to go back?"
It caused Izaya to still for a moment and Shizuo's eyes met his own.
A similar question lingered in his eyes and reminded Izaya of his offer.
They could leave.
Any time.
No questions asked.
Right now was such a moment. A chance to bail. And Shizuo waited for Izaya to spell the word.
The last time he had asked Izaya had replied with an order of time.
Not yet. That's what he had said. Meaning there would be a time where they would.
But shaking his head softly Izaya showed a confident smile and Shizuo learned that it was not now.
"I'm afraid we have to show something for our trip. And since we destroyed the priest's true objective it's kind of essential to bring you back instead," Izaya replied, answering Masaki's as well as Shizuo's question and his lips curled into a smile.
Not yet.
Not when he was about to defeat the priest and the apocalypse at the same time.
to be continued~
See? I'm being nice xD No zombies this chapter~ No evil surprises~ … yet :3
See you next friday~ xD