Chapter 96: Resurrection

Izaya wasn't too sure what to make of this child. Fifteen was a critical age in this environment. If handled right, someone his age could adapt quicker to these new surroundings than adults, but the same accounted for the opposite case.

What was he facing? Madness? Resignation? Both seemed far from true considering the awfully elevated mood the boy presented. Or was that just an act?

Taking the ladder first the kid at least didn't seem to have any ulterior motive of shooting them from behind while they were climbing up and so Izaya sighed as he followed.

For now they were meant to ascend the building. A task that seemed awfully insurmountable for few of them.

"Shizuo, can you take her?" Izaya asked while nodding towards Karisawa. An insecure glance had rested on her expression and the outlook of having to support her own weight upon moving upwards. That quickly changed, however, when her face flushed and she turned towards Shizuo.

"Huh? What- No, no I'm fine, I-" but Shizuo was quicker to act that she was to complain in embarrassment and before she knew it he had already picked her up and flung her over his shoulder.

"You will be more of a hindrance if you start bleeding again from overexertion," Izaya added quickly and Namie seemed to agree. "In other words, let us take care of what you can't, alright?"

A soft groan was all he heard, but no further complaints were given and Izaya's gaze trailed towards Kadota next.

"What about you?" His shoulder had healed somewhat, but he could tell from the way Kadota moved that his former mobility remained restricted.

"Do you know how often I climbed to the top of our van with a staple manga under my arms?" the guy simply shrugged and approached the ladder next. Bringing up his healthy arm he made it a point to move exceptionally fast despite his mild handicap and Vorona sighed. "We really have the worst baseline of action."

"Hey now, where is your positivity?" Izaya snorted, and finally followed as his hands touched the rough texture of the knotted ladder. "We are alive. Unlike these," he nodded over to the fungi nearby and smiled. "You should appreciate that fact."

Izaya was fast compared to the rest. Advancing easily and taking in his surroundings on the fly.

The museum was shaped like a croissant. A fontaine placed inside the center of the halfmoon shaped entrance was the main attraction for not only the previous visitors, but also for the masses of infected people lurking around.

It was pretty. Showed a few fattened angels wearing less than appropriate with touches of gold decorating their hair, clothes and harps.

Beethoven wasn't exactly the type of music fitting the artwork, but the intensity and loudness hallowing across the area only enhanced the beautifully crafted melody.

Someone, or rather the priest or one of his followers had stuck a phonograph on top of the statue. Quite fitting for a man that claimed to act in god's service.

The volume had been turned up to maximum and just like a rat's trap filled with the scent of cheese or ham, the tunes traversing the air served as bait for the millions of infected.

Gathering around the fontaine they collected in beautiful order.

Had Izaya's vision not been a perfect score the sight might have resembled that of a ball's gathering and the fungi appeared to be dancing to the music as they moved.

Looking towards the source of music Izaya tried to figure out how they kept it working without having to head over. Electricity had disappeared for quite a while after all.

But thinking about the delicious Ootoro inside the solar panel fuelled freezer Izaya figured stuff like batteries, charged power banks and other possibilities were still available after all and easily implemented to be used.

As for the phonograph itself, they probably took it from the inside of the museum. A short glance to the front revealed its contents as it was a museum of music and arts.

It was when Van Gogh's 5th Sonata started playing that Izaya couldn't help but snort.

"At least he had good taste in music."

It was a simple construction overall.

The music attracted the fungi.

The fungi gathered around the fontaine unable to reach the source of the noise.

The priest's followers, or rather the kid and whoever else was stationed here shot them from above once they started to gather and the circle continued.

It explained why they hadn't seen a single zombie around the mall.

Funny.

The priest was claiming this pandemia to be god's will but he seemed awfully keen to keep them away from him. Odd for someone who was supposedly immune.

"We have the weapons here," the child started to explain as soon as Izaya's feet met the top of the roof. "More munition is one the way, they don't really hear you shoot because of the music either."

He was quick to act and even easier to follow.

"How many gather per day?" Izaya asked and the boy turned for a second as he tried to give a rough estimate.

"Depends, the area has been cleared pretty well, so usually they just come trickling in." He nodded towards a larger batch of fresher looking zombies on the side. "But sometimes a larger batch is lured over and that's when we need to start clearing them."

Right. Or else they were going to reach the phonograph at some point. Or become a force too overwhelming to clear.

"And they don't hear us?" Shizuo suddenly asked after having put Karisawa back down to her own two feet and the boy smiled.

"Some tend to notice, but what can they do? Jump up here?"

Funny. This child still kept his humor despite everything.

Eyes narrowing, Izaya nodded towards the other end of the museum's roof.

"And your job is to watch out?"

He could see something akin to a tent up ahead. Supplies too. Boxes filled with probably both food and weapons.

"Ah, yes!" The child suddenly saluted, "Mitsu is the name. I have been stationed to watch out for the zombies," he announced quickly, as if he had only just now realized that he was supposed to introduce himself.

Izaya could see Vorona's eyes narrowed from the side at the way the kid acted. And he agreed.

It was strange.

Mitsu was overall in a mood too good to be doing this job.

"Where are you parents?" she suddenly asked, and the reason for his positive mind displayed itself in its whole sad entirety.

"Mum and dad are back at the mall. They are taking care of my sister since she is too young to help. That's why I am here."

No one could have downed the mood quicker than those words did. A bright smile was sitting on his face and Izaya noticed with sickening assurance that he actually believed what he was saying.

Even Karisawa seemed to understand as her expression soured.

"So you are protecting your entire family? Now that's a lot of responsibility." Izaya praised quickly and the pride in Mitsu's eyes only tripled at his words.

"I'm sharing the shifts with my friend, so don't worry we are always on the watch," he grinned and Izaya looked towards the tent once more.

Truly.

Now that he looked at it again he spotted the huddled figure on the ground wrapped in what appeared to be a blanket.

"You might want to wake them for us then, so he knows we aren't some random strangers." Izaya announced and Mitsu seemed to realize his mistake as he quickly nodded.

"Ah, right!" and with that he left. In quick strides wearing a cheerful smile.

His life was simple. Right now.

Sleep on the roof in safety. Eat, talk to his friend. Protect everyone by clearing some zombies from a safe distance.

To Mitsu this task had to feel more like a game and his role in it that of the hero saving the day.

"Have you seen a single woman in that mall?" Vorona whispered as soon as he was gone. "Or kids?"

"No." Of course not. "And we would do well not to mention that fact."

Clicking her tongue Namie kicked a box on the ground in a sudden burst of anger.

"That sick bastard. He is exploiting the kid."

Izaya snorted. He didn't think she would sympathize this much with a stranger. "Of course he is. It's the perfect tool. He thinks he is protecting his entire family by doing his job right. You couldn't ask for a better guard."

Glaring at Izaya as though he had been the one to kill Mitsu's family, she spat. "Why am I not surprised that you agree with his sick logic?"

But Izaya just grinned and shrugged.

Because at the end of the day mourning this boy's fate wasn't going to get them anywhere. The past was in the past. Right now there were more important matters to be addressed.

"What do we do now?" Shizuo suddenly asked, awfully in tune with Izaya. "Start killing them?"

Looking at the sky, Izaya's eyes narrowed for a second and he thought of the next steps to take.

Not a single cloud was to be seen.

Meaning the flatworms were back where they belonged. In their shadows.

And yet looking down Izaya found himself oddly missing their presence. Not the living ones, however, but the corpses.

In between the heaps of moving fungi he could spot corpses. Corpses of people. Corpses of fungi. But not a single flatworm.

Why?

Sure the accumulation of fungi wouldn't let them remain alive for long, but he couldn't spot a single corpse.

Did they avoid this place on purpose?

His eyes narrowed.

Or did they actually learn that the music was a trap?

A terrifying thought.

Because it would mean that they developed knowledge even greater than what he saw back with Karisawa when they started jumping from shadow to shadow.

"We take a good look around." Izaya mouthed slowly "I want a rough estimate of how many of these we are facing. And how much munition is actually present. The weapons too." Looking to the side he met Karisawa's gaze.

Realizing that she could actually help for once the woman quickly jerked into motion and a smile called to her lips.

"Aye, aye!" She responded quickly and Kadota seemed to share her joy.

"I will start at the back," he announced and Vorona nodded over towards Mitsu and his companion. "I will move over to these two."

"I will watch our van so no one tampers with it." Namie declared and turned towards the ladder leading down the museum.

"And we take the front?" Shizuo asked as their group started to split, but Izaya shook his head as he sat down onto the edge of the building.

"You take the front," he corrected and Shizuo blinked.

"What are you going to do?" he asked, but still did as told as he slowly counted the zombies gathering around the phonograph.

"Just wrecking my head over silly theories," Izaya shrugged.

A breeze brushed across the roof and for a second Shizuo stilled as he looked at Izaya.

"Should I be scared?"

Theories were one thing, but when it came to Izaya chances were high that his theories were straight facts that only needed to be confirmed. And the way his expression had darkened told Shizuo enough to know that these new facts were none that would come in their favor.

"Not if I'm wrong," Izaya grinned, only confirming Shizuo's suspicion and he sighed.

"Care to let me in?" One zombie after the other walked into his field of vision and he tried to keep track of the numbers in his head as he counted those around the fontaine.

"I said I wanted you to catch some decent rest. I doubt some horror stories are going to help with that," Izaya announced but Shizuo only snorted at that.

"I don't have the best imagination. You are the one recreating fairy tales in an apocalypse, don't forget that."

Right.

Feeling the faintest hint of a smile spread across his lips, Izaya recalled their act. Time was moving unnaturally slow and then sometimes too fast to be real. Their little red-riding hood experience felt like it had happened ages ago and yet talking about it, caused it to feel as if they had enjoyed themselves at the library just a day before.

Izaya wasn't really someone to relish in nostalgia and yet he couldn't help but feel its light touch.

"The way you say that sounds almost like you want me to start another one," he hummed and Shizuo laughed. "No, please don't."

"How about it? Sleeping beauty would be nice. With me as the witch," Izaya teased further, only leaving one possible conclusion and Shizuo raised a brow.

"Let me guess with me as the princess?"

A quick grin spread across Izaya's lips as he smiled. "Told you I want you to sleep."

Shizuo snorted, "Forever? Sounds like a death threat."

And Izaya laughed.

Laughed so freely.

"Not really, after all in the end she-"

And then he didn't.

Because suddenly his voice failed him.

His eyes too actually as he blinked more often than necessary to clear his vision and it was as if the air had come to a complete standstill.

A hoard of zombies.

Izaya had seen it. To the very right of the museum. Getting stuck by the fence a pile of them had collected and was awkwardly trying to climb across each other. A few iron rods to the side served a gruesome picture as they tried pushing past the rods, but only managed to bring their arms forth.

They weren't many.

They weren't dangerous.

There was no immediate threat.

No danger.

But there was a girl.

"Izaya?" recognizing the sudden silence the number on Shizuo's mind quickly dissipated as he looked at Izaya instead. His face had turned pale as a sheet of paper and a dreadful whisper filled to the brim with thick sadness choked past his lips. "No way…"

And Shizuo's head turned to follow Izaya's gaze to that of the body of a female zombie.

Brown hair. Awfully short.

Blood stained her skin, the bare feet and a hospital kilt.

Rigid motions jerked her infected body as she kept walking against the same set of iron rods.

But the height-

The stance.

The hair.

The face-

Shizuo didn't know her well and yet the moment his eyes laid sight upon her he recognized who she was.

Kururi.

Kururi Orihara.

Izaya's sister and the girl that had supposedly become the virus' first victim and died.

to be continued~

Oh my, oh my, oh my. C: What happened there? Why is she still here? Wasn't she declared dead? C: C: C:

Guess we will find out next friday~ xD