章 6: The Turning

[So, are you saying that this virus had mutated that much over time?]

[Quite possibly, we've seen a handful of cases where the infected still had their consciousness intact, it's worth looking into]

[And these infected... are they humans?]

[We're afraid not.]

Arisu boorishly chewed on her fingernails as she watched the news. The drastic change that occurred around the world brought about a change in her mindset and insomnia was just a few of its effects. She couldn't sleep at all last night, hearing the wails and groans of the infected outside. It didn't bid well with her anxiety as well as the underlying thought that she could transform into an infected in no time.

On a brighter note, the news had people now. Apparently, the shelters around the world were hastily fortified and used as makeshift evacuation centers for the uninfected. Evidently, the news reporters would be there as well since those were the only known safe locations to exist. Most uninfected had already evacuated to these shelters, and this was where most news revolved around in.

[Recent studies showed that the virus had two possible outcomes depending on its hold over the host. While we don't know its other unknown varying effects, these two outcomes have already been seen in action.]

[And what are these outcomes are we talking about, professor?]

[The first outcome is the most common one, and that is, the virus takes over the host's brain, reducing them to their primal feral state.]

[The virus would then take advantage of that to further spread, and we've seen it happen many times— their way of spreading is through the bloodstream via the use of a bite. Their saliva and blood don't necessarily infect a healthy person, unless of course, those substances come into contact with their bloodstream.]

[The second outcome is a less likely one but we've seen it happen— and that is, the virus takes over a small portion of the host's brain. This brings about a drastic change to their physique. Some would possess superhuman strength, keen senses, regenerative abilities... etc. And with this, a symbiotic relationship is formed, one where the virus and humans coexist together. These are rare cases, but there were reported accounts of its legitimacy.]

[So you can be infected and not lose control over your body?]

[That's correct.]

[Now let's discuss the three possible effects that could arise from the second outcome...]

Arisu lay down on the couch, pursing her lips as she silently whimpered. Tears streamed down her cheeks while she held her breath, hoping that Kazuichi won't see that weak side of hers. The interviewee talked about the possibility of a person not losing their sanity when they get infected by the virus... and she was one of the lucky ones to get the second outcome.

However, the same thing couldn't be said of her family. They all got infected, and not one of them was lucky enough to retain their consciousness.

"Why did this have to happen..." Arisu muttered to herself, clutching her chest as she wept. Even if they weren't dead, the injuries they suffered were fatal, and it won't be long before they suffered the consequences of them. Just like what the professor being interviewed said, they may not be dead, but they were as good as dead in the long run.

"I... I need to find the cure." Arisu muttered to herself. "I need to find the cure..."

.....

The morning sunlight peered through the windows of Kazuichi's room, waking him up from his somewhat peaceful sleep. The moment his eyes opened, he immediately felt tired. 'Let me guess, it wasn't a dream.' He said to himself as he reluctantly pushed his body out of his bed. Somehow, he felt the odd feeling that his usual routine wasn't working. With the gears turning in his mind, he sat back on his bed.

And that's when he noticed it...

... the silence.

There were no sounds of passing cars, no sound of the early morning rush hour, and even the birds that would sometimes perch on his windowsill, they were gone. The liveliness of the town had been erased, so much so that it assumed the form of a ghost town more than anything.

"So that girl was right... the world had already changed. The news last night was real... wow, to think that the world would change this much while I shut myself from it. Who'd have thought?" A soft chuckle escaped Kazuichi's mouth as he thought about the laughable situation. Honestly, some part of him missed going outside, but now going outside proved to be even more impossible. Whether he liked it or not, he missed his chance to overcome his shut-in mindset. And now it was too late for him to go back.

"Whatever, at least I'm still alive." He muttered to himself before doing a couple of stretches. Once that was done, he headed downstairs to his gym, putting in the routine hours of workout before he eats breakfast.

Yawning, Kazuichi drowsily headed downstairs, only to notice that the television was on and Arisu was still on the couch. "Geh~ did she sleep on the couch? Tsk~ you'll catch a cold, you know."

The interview between the medical professor and the news reporter still went on, broadcasted around the country.

[The first confirmed case of the second outcome was super strength. That's right, super strength. We assume that the virus had only affected a certain portion of the brain which acts as a human limiter. With this limiter removed, the infected human could tap into their hidden strengths, giving them more raw power than your regular humans. I do think that the virus also plays a part in the physical regeneration of the infected. You may ask why, and the reason is simple. There's no way the muscles could withstand overwork, and yet these infected humans never seemed to get tired.]

"Ah, so... what are they talking about, exactly?" Kazuichi shook his head. He didn't bother turning off the television since there may be new information regarding the state of the world.

Just when Kazuichi came in full view of Arisu, he took a step backward. He was surprised to see Arisu sleeping and crying at the same time. He felt as if his heart warmed up, and he began to tear up as well. "Man, why is she crying? Was it because... " Kazuichi stopped short. He remembered her briefly mentioning her family visit here in Japan— a family visit that never came to fruition due to the global outbreak.

"What bad timing, tsk~," Kazuichi commented, referring to Arisu's failed family reunion. With a sigh, he walked towards the other couch and grabbed the blanket there. He intended to at least cover Arisu's body since the air conditioning was in full blast. "You should at least cover up when you're sleeping. You're in a guy's house, you know... wait... I didn't tell her about the guest room, did I? No wonder she slept here on the couch."

Absent-mindedly, Kazuichi draped the blanket over Arisu's body, trying not to slip up since he didn't want any body contact whatsoever. He was still weak against such a gesture, probably because it had been years since he was last in presence of another human. As he pulled the blanket on Arisu's upper body, he gulped, hoping that she wouldn't wake up while he was in such a complicated position.

Well, he shouldn't have thought about it. The moment the blanket reached Arisu's neck, her eyes shot open, revealing her bloodshot blue eyes which stared right through Kazuichi's soul. Kazuichi only had a split second to react before Arisu grabbed him by the throat and attacked him.

"Sheeesh, woman, what's wrong with you?" Kazuichi asked as Arisu fell on top of him. Fortunately, he was able to maintain his composure, grabbing Arisu's wrists with his bare hands so her hold on his neck would loosen. Despite being one weight class under him, Arisu was clearly overpowering him, much to his bewilderment.

Quite frankly, Kazuichi had no idea how much force he'd had to exert for it to be considered a rough treatment for a woman but right now, it's not like he had any choice. At this rate, he'd suffocate to his death while Arisu prevailed. 'She was bitten, right? Is this a side effect of being bitten?'

'Wait, maybe she turned while she was sleeping? Yeah, that's possible.' Kazuichi told himself. This time, he let go of Arisu's wrist and let her squeeze the air out of his throat. Instead of trying to remove her grip, Kazuichi hoisted himself up, landing on top of her in return. With a shriek, Arisu's hand inadvertently let go of his throat when she fell on her back, and Kazuichi sought this chance to pin her down.

His years of training and working out didn't fail him, and he managed to pin Arisu's legs with his, and both his hands with his hands. "Get your grip together, Arisu! What are you doing?" Kazuichi snapped. He didn't want to believe that Arisu had turned. Yesterday, she was as lively as ever. Besides, she did say that it had been an hour or so before she was bitten and yet she didn't turn. There's no way such a fast-acting virus would delay its effects when it could speed it up.

"Arisu! Wake up!" Kazuichi called out. Since he pinned her using his arms and legs, he couldn't slap her awake. All that he could do was scream at her in hopes that she'd listen.

Throughout the entire situation, Kazuichi's face reddened in embarrassment. He couldn't help but think that pinning a woman to the ground is considered a crime. 'No... this is self-defense!' He reasoned out before screaming at Arisu for the second time. "For the love of— please wake up, Arisu. I don't want to kill you!"

Arisu continued to shriek and squirm, her bosom bouncing all over the place. Kazuichi's mind then drifted to his shirt which Arisu was wearing. It was oversized, and she looked extremely cute with it on. Arisu was also wearing his brand-new boxers— and Kazuichi didn't want to think about it for fear that his mind would short-circuit again.

"Graargaghhga~!" Arisu continued her act like a madman.

Then suddenly, her body went limp, and she turned quiet.