Apocalyptic Viral Pandemic

Chapter 1: The Outbreak Begins

Gumi held her head high as she skipped along the vacant sidewalk. Her lips were curved into a large grin, and her gorgeous green eyes sparkled as they reflected the midday sunlight. Her life was great, and it was just getting better with each passing day. She had loyal friends, a faithful and loving boyfriend, and an amazing singing voice to top it all off.

She inhaled a deep breath of fresh air, letting it fill her lungs as she continued along her way. She seemed even more excited than usual since she would be holding a concert with some of her other Vocaloid friends the following night. It would be one of the biggest highlights of their singing careers yet, and they would even be singing one of their new songs that hadn't been released anywhere.

She suddenly stopped in her tracks when she noticed a figure standing just a few feet ahead of her. It was her friend Luka, who would be one of the other people participating in the concert. However, her skin was unusually pale, and her breathing was heavy. Her forehead also appeared to be covered in sweat.

Gumi's smile slowly faded after noticing her friend's condition, and it was replaced by an expression of concern.

"Luka-chan, daijoubu?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm j-just feeling a little dizzy, that's all."

"You should probably sit down somewhere th-" Gumi stepped forward and reached out to grab onto Luka's arm and assist her, but she was instantly pushed away.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Luka snapped, and Gumi's eyes widened as she stood there, dumbfounded. Luka was always calm and composed, and she usually behaved in a more mature manner than most of the other Vocaloids... so this strange reaction came as a complete shock to Gumi.

"G-gomenasai. I w-was just trying to help." Gumi spoke up in a quiet tone, taking a step backward.

After realizing what she had just done, Luka's flustered expression vanished, and she shook her head. Sighing deeply, she lifted her left hand and began to rub her temple with it while speaking up in her normal tone of voice.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry... I just don't want you to catch whatever bug I've got."

"Are you sure you can make it home alone though?"

"Yeah, I'm positive. I'll be fine. I'm sure with a good night's rest, I'll be completely back to normal. I won't let a little virus ruin our concert tomorrow." Luka gave Gumi a reassuring smile, then started to walk off while she continued to rub her temple.

"Ja ne, Gumi-chan."

"Sayonara, Luka-chan." Gumi still seemed worried as she watched her friend walk off. After several moments, she just shook her head and started heading back toward her aparment complex.

Once she arrived at her front door, she pulled the key out from her pocket and slid it into the keyhole. After unlocking the door, she turned the knob and pushed it open. She returned the key to her pocket as she stepped into the room and then closed the door behind her.

"Tadaima."

"Welcome back, babe." Yuma was sitting on the couch in a corner of the room, smiling as he set his gaze upon his girlfriend. He had been watching some odd Japanese game show.

"Arigatou." Gumi returned the smile, although it was merely a faint one instead of her usual full one.

"Is something the matter? You don't seem as cheerful as you usually are." Yuma's own smile faded in an instant, and he cocked his head slightly to the right.

"I'm okay. It's just... I'm a little worried about Luka-chan. She seemed kinda sick when I talked to her just a few minutes ago. She was perfectly fine at rehearsal this morning though." She walked over to the couch and took a seat in Yuma's lap while wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. There's been a lot of viruses going around lately. It's probably just a mild case of the flu or something." Yuma's smile returned as he wrapped his arms around Gumi's waist, pressing his lips softly against her forehead.

Gumi's cheeks turned a light shade of pink in response, almost matching Yuma's hair color. The corners of her lips started to curve upward again, revealing that her pleasant mood was starting to be coaxed out again.

"I suppose you're right. There's no point in worrying about it anyways... worrying won't help Luka-chan get any better." Her smile grew even wider, and she soon bestowed a gentle kiss upon Yuma's left cheek.

"Exactly. If it'll make you feel any better, we can call her in the morning to make sure she's doing well." He slowly moved one of his hands up and rubbed his lover's back gently, trying his best to comfort her and cheer her up.

"Sounds like a plan." She nodded in response to his suggestion, and her slightly tense muscles slowly began to relax when she felt him rubbing her back. He always knew how to make her feel better. "Arigatou, darling."

"That's what I'm here for, hon." Yuma pulled Gumi's body closer to his own, still rubbing her back. "Why don't I make your favorite meal... fried rice with chicken and plenty of carrots?"

"But it's my turn to cook tonight..."

"I think we can make an exception this time."

"Well... okay then." Gumi's smile grew a bit more, and she slowly laid her head down on Yuma's left shoulder while releasing a deep sigh from her lungs.

...

Gumi and Yuma spent a relaxing evening together, snuggling on the couch while they watched various animes on television and occasionally whispered sweet nothings into each other's ears. Eventually, both of them fell into a peaceful slumber. However, they were quickly brought back into the conscious world around 3 A.M. when the telephone rang. Gumi opened her eyes and blinked several times, attempting to focus her vision. Yuma opened his eyes next, groaning. Once Gumi's vision had focused enough, she slowly sat up and reached over to grab the telephone from the small table adjacent to the couch. She picked it up and brought it up to her ear, then spoke up in a tired and slightly raspy voice.

"H-hello?" After about thirty seconds had passed, her eyes widened. "Nani?! A-all right... we'll head out right now!" She quickly hung up the phone and slipped off the couch as Yuma sat up.

"What's going on?"

"That was Gaku-kun on the phone. He said that Luka-chan went to sleep as soon as she got home, and she just woke up a few minutes ago. She seemed crazed and almost enraged as she staggered out of the house. He started to follow her, but she pushed him down when he tried to help her back into the house. By the time he scrambled to his feet again, she was gone. He's out searching now, and he can't find her anywhere. We've gotta help him!"

"Damn it!" Yuma quickly rose to his feet and rushed over to the door. He grabbed his white hoodie off of a hanger and slipped it on along with his shoes. "Grab your cell phone. We'll split up and search everywhere. I'll go east, you go west. If either of us finds her, we'll call each other and Gakupo immediately."

"Wakatta!" Gumi nodded, running to the door next and pulling her orange jacket over her shoulders while she slipped on her shoes also. Fortunately, her cell phone was still resting in one of her pockets.

Yuma opened the door and shot outside with Gumi following suit shortly afterwards. She trekked off in the opposite direction of Yuma, beginning her search for her pink-haired friend in the endless suburbs of Kyoto.

"Luka-chan! LUKA-CHAAAN!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as she searched. She checked each store and restaurant that she happened to pass on every street in the vicinity. She desperately asked countless random strangers if they had recently seen Luka, giving a detailed description of her appearance each time. However, each time she received the same response... none of them had seen a woman of Luka's appearance, or they just weren't in the mood to talk to a stranger. After about three hours of searching in this manner, she was about ready to give up. She still didn't have a clue as to Luka's current location, and she had only been contacted by Yuma once. He just called to see how she was faring since he didn't find any leads either.

"Luka-chan, where are you?" Gumi's lower lip began to quiver, and she sank down with her back pressed up against the wall of a store. Tears started to pour down her cheeks in a steady stream. Suddenly, she heard the sound of fabric tearing, which caused her to blink. She turned her head in the direction that the sound came from and slowly rose to her feet again. Cautiously, she started to approach the entrance to a small, nearby alleyway. After arriving at her destination, she slowly peeked her head around the corner and squinted her eyes. The alley was engulfed in darkness, but part of a human figure was visible. It appeared to be a woman who was knelt down on the ground with her back facing Gumi. The woman's long hair was pink, yet it also seemed to have an abnormal greyish-black tint to it. Gumi took a step into the alley, moving a bit closer to the woman. Her eyes suddenly brightened when she recognized the garments the other female was sporting.

"Luka-chan! Oh, we were so worried about you! You really shouldn't leave the house like that when you're so ill. I think you almost gave your boyfriend a heart attack. Let's go back now." Gumi pulled her cell phone out of her jacket's pocket and started to dial Yuma's number.

At the same time, Luka slowly stood up with her back facing Gumi still. Her jaw was moving, and she appeared to be chewing. There was also the sound of something splattering against the pavement below... possibly some sort of liquid.

Gumi was still pressing in numbers as Luka finally turned around to face her friend. Her skin was extremely pale, and she had dark circles around her eyes. Her left eye had completely turned a crimson red color, and her iris and pupil were nonexistent. Hanging out of her mouth was a human tendon with fresh blood dripping off of it.

Gumi looked up, and she immediately dropped her phone after witnessing the sight before her. The cellular device descended at a rapid pace and shattered into hundreds of pieces upon impacting the pavement. Gumi's eyes widened in horror as Luka slurped up the tendon into her mouth, leaving a trail of blood flowing down her chin. The former slowly moved her gaze downward, and she instantly let out a piercing shriek at the sight. There was a corpse lying on the ground right behind Luka, and most of the flesh on its upper body and arms was missing.

Gumi's face went almost as pale as Luka's, and she placed a hand over her mouth as she dry heaved a few times. Luka finished chewing the tendon and swallowed, licking her lips as she took a step forward. She was staring at her friend with the same gaze in which a hungry lion would stare at an impala.

Gumi slowly started to back away with that expression of terror remaining on her face. Before she knew what was happening, Luka lunged at her and pinned her up against a wall. Then, she started to lean forward while saliva dripped out from the corner of her mouth.

Tears started to pour down Gumi's cheeks again, and she spoke up in a trembling and barely audible voice.

"Onegai, Luka-chan... o-onegai, don't do this... I'm begging you... Luka-chan!"