"Katsuki..."

Said blond halted sharpening his machete as Shouto stood in front of him. He cocked a brow and looked up.

Shouto folded his arms, shoulders lax. Not searching for a fight, but needs to inform Katsuki of something the blond most definitely will not like. "We need to make a run to the hospital."

Yeah, he was right. Didn't like that one bit.

"You mean I need to make a run to the hospital. First of all, hell no. Second, fuck no. Why the damn hospital, icyhot?"

The younger sighed, shifting his weight. "While the infection is healing, his fever is fluctuating. I am worried the infection will begin to fluctuate as well if he doesn't recieve the proper medication. I don't want to risk the infection spreading through his blood stream anymore than it already has. If he doesn't get more medication, this wound could kill him. I also need to suture the wound once the infection is gone, so I need the needles and thread for that. We've run out of thread from the school."

Katsuki inhaled deeply through his nose, carding his fingers through his hair.

Shouto is right. They need these medical supplies for Denki. Not even just for him. For the future. For the just-in-case.

His jaw set firmly and he glared down at the blade in his hands. "Alright... I'll figure something out with the group."

"I'll come with if you need a spare set of hands-"

"No," Katsuki snapped quickly, sheathing his machete and standing. Shouto met his eyes, unsurprised he was interrupted so rudely. "Can't have both people with medical knowledge outside at once. Someone also needs to keep an eye on Denki."

Shouto sighed, but nodded. "When can you leave?"

"Denki needs those meds now... I'll get a group together by tomorrow morning."

~

Katsuki hated this. He absolutely hated this. This is risking everyone's lives. So many sick were inside the hospital.

Eijirou slunk right beside him, double pistols raised and red eyes scanning their surroundings. Hanta, Momo and Tsuyu followed them, each ready for a fight.

Thankfully, they only came across a straggler or two on the way to the hospital's pharmacy. Tsuyu shut and locked the door once they were all in, Hanta driving his blade into the skull of the only Biter inside.

"Holy shit," Eijirou breathed, shoulders slouching. "It's the fucking motherlode..."

Katsuki smirked, dropping his duffle bag to the floor. "Grab as much as you can."

Divide and conquer. Katsuki quickly found pain relief medication and antibiotics, scooping up armfuls. Everyone grabbed and stuffed the bag, Eijirou shrugging off his knapsack for more.

"Got the anti-inflamitories?"

"Right here. Denk's is gonna be so drugged up."

The girls giggled, Hanta smirking proudly.

Katsuki sighed and rolled his eyes, tossing his duffle bag. Hanta slung it over his shoulder, Eijirou mimicking him with his knapsack. Tsuyu trodded up to Katsuki as he approached the door. "Anything else we need..?"

"Suture materials. Betadine, probably gauze, wrap, more medical tape..." Katsuki breathed deeply, carefully unlocking the door. "So we need to find the operating rooms or the ambulance bay."

Tsuyu nodded, raising her blade as the door pushed open.

There was the slightest of creaks, Katsuki wincing at the sound. Thankfully, no sick were close enough to be bothered by the sound.

Eijirou shuffled closer. "Ambulance bay will be easier to find and easier to escape incase of an emergency..."

Katsuki hummed and nodded in agreement, gaze sweeping the aisle twice more before waving his hand and walking out.

They were silent as they crept through the halls, on alert. It almost unnerved him how little sick they came across, but they also were just on the first floor. Who's to say how many are on the second or third.

The halls were dark and damp, supplies and bodies scattered across the floor. Broken lights hung from the ceiling, carts and gurneys knocked over or jutting out of rooms. Momo grabbed what looked useful and stuffed the items in her bag. Despite being used to the sight and the smell of rotting flesh, Katsuki still felt sick to his stomach as he lead the group through the halls.

Finally they found an arrow to direct them to the Ambulance bay. Katsuku peered down the hall, waving to the group before making his way around a turned over gurney.

"Operations rooms are over there," Katsuki whispered with a gesture of his gun down the hallway, "just in case we can't get the ambulances..."

He didn't see their nods, too focused ahead. They finally made it to the door, Katsuki testing the knob before nodding toward Eijirou. The taller made his way around, blade at the ready. Katsuki counted down under his breath before pulling the door.

Eijirou peeked inside, then gave Katsuki a thumbs-up and entered.

The blond opened the door fully, letting everyone in before him. Before closing the door, though, a distant clutter caught his attention. He glanced around quickly, slowly shutting the door.

Hanta jogged over to the cracked open garage doors as the rest of the group pilfered through the ambulances and the stock, laying on the ground to look outside.

Katsuki nodded to Momo and Tsuyu as they held up items they found that they may need. Sutures, needles, emergency kits, more antibiotics and pain medication.

Hanta walked up to Katsuki, licking his lips nervously. "There's a big group. Hard to tell how many, but it looked close to a dozen and I saw at least one Runner."

"Fuck," Katsuki hissed under his breath. "Fine... We'll leave the way we came. It's already been cleared."

The ravenette nodded and trodded carefully to the other side to inform Eijirou.

Once their bags were full and Katsuki was sure they had everything they needed, he grabbed the doorknob and waited for Eijirou to step in front of him. They nodded to each other, then Katsuki pushed the door open. With a thumbs up from Eijirou, the group went back out into the hallway.

When they turned, Katsuki froze and held his fist up, the other four halting behind him.

Momo inhaled sharply. "Screamer..."

Katsuki clenched his jaw, hyperfocused on the being slowly dragging themselves forward.

How they could tell she was a Screamer - the jagged tears from the corners of her mouth, forming an awkward, shorter and fleshier version of Joker's smile. This screamer had torn her mouth more fairly recently, too.

"What do we do..?"

Katsuki carefully drew his machete, keeping one pistol in his other hand. He passed off his bag to Eijirou. "She's turned away... Stay, I'll get her..."

The four were hesitant, but obeyed.

Carefully, Katsuki approached the lone sick. He kept outside her line of sight.

Screamers and Runners had far better sight than the Biters. Runner's had the best. Biters were practically blind, relying on hearing and smelling.

Screamers had the worst sense of smell and were easier to sneak up on, especially since they liked to wonder alone. Very rarely were they seen with a group.

This screamer, though, seemed to know exactly what was coming. She turned and Katsuki froze, eyes widening as she spotted him.

Instantly, she raised her head and screeched. An ear-splitting cry, echoing down the hall. Katsuki launched forward, three large strides and he swung his machete, lopping her head off. Her voice cut out, head and body dropping aimlessly and he stomped on her head, killing the brain.

He panted, shaking. His gut tightened, cold with dread. Katsuki looked back to the group, each with just-as-wide eyes.

One second... Two-

Thump-

Katsuki and the group jumped, eyes snapping to the wall that shook. The sound came again-

THUMP-

Harder-

THUMP-

The drywall split and the moans of the sick could be heard, Runner's snarling.

With an unfamiliar, terrifying bellow, deep and dark, earth shattering and shaking the survivors to their very bones, the wall burst, a beast built like a solid wall of muscle barreling through and crashing into the glass wall on the other side of the hallway.

Biters pushed through, Runners snapping their jaws and hissing, clawing desperately as the hoard stumbled over each other to get through.

Katsuki stopped breathing, unable to move as he watched the unknown sick stand tall, growl vibrating in its chest as it hunched forward, searching for its meal.

The Screamer just rang the fucking dinner bell.

As the sick began to stand, nearly drooling as they sniffed and searched, Runners shaking themselves from the tumble forward, Katsuki looked to his friends.

He didn't even think.

"RUN, GODDAMNIT! RUN!" He screamed, knuckles white in his grip on his weapons.

Milky white eyes snapped towards him, teeth flashing hungrily.

Eijirou's eyes widened more - if possible - and reached out, opening his mouth. Hanta jumped forward, slapping his hand over and held him back, tears in his own eyes.

Katsuki started backing up, heart racing so hard he could hear it thundering in his ears, feel it rattling his ribcage.

"Run!" He shouted one more time before twisting on his toes and bolting.

The Runners shrieked and dashed after, the one who broke the wall snarling and stumbling along with the Biters.

Katsuki ran hard, pushing through the hall and jumping over obstacles. He slipped on papers and various fluids, stumbling and nearly crashing. The shrieks of the Runners, the groaning of the Biters and the unknown strengthened his will not to fall.

More Biters, even another Runner, filtered out of the hospital rooms. Biters moaned in hunger, Runner shrieking in delight they finally have prey to chase.

Katsuki ducked his head, raising his arms to shield himself as he crashed through the glass doora of the hospital, stumbling forward, cursing as he hit the concrete. Two Runners got stuck, shrieking and thrashing to get out, giving Katsuki just enough time to recover. He scrambled to his feet, already on the move again as the thing barreled through the two Runners amd the door frame, crumpling it like nothing. Those Runners weren't getting up any time soon.

Still, Katsuki pushed himself faster. His shoulder, down his side throbbed, blood trailing down his arm from the broken glass.

Runners cried as they chased, the beast bellowing behind.

Katsuki weaved through cars, gritting his teeth as he saw more sick filing into the street.

He's so fucking dead.

Another blood-curling wail ripped through the air ahead of him. A second Screamer stood on the sidewalk, this one more rotted than the one he'd just killed. Sunken, milky eyes, cheeks shredded, skin clinging to bone.

Katsuki hissed as his hip slammed into the headlight of a car and he twisted to avoid the Runner that leapt at him. Pain shot down his leg and throbbed through his hip as he ran - now much slower. His heart raced in panic, breath hitching in his throat as he could hear the Runners gaining on him. He could practically feel them breathing down his neck.

He heaved, looking around quickly, assessing his surroundings as much as he could in his freight and running. Nothing, no escape. There's more and more- they're endless! Runners shrieked and bounded, the beast growling and Biters reaching. The Screamer now chased, its call echoing off the near-deserted buildings.

He's dead. Dead, dead-

"Hey!"

A distant call.

He snapped his head up, not faltering a single stride.

A person, silhouetted by the sun and standing on a roof two buildings ahead. Almost a miracle Katsuki heard him.

They held a rifle in one hand, and something small in the other.

"Alley! Get in the alley!"

It's a trap. They're trapping him. They're going to trap him in the alley and watch him be torn apart, limb-by-limb, then steal his weapons. Don't fall for it, don't fall for it-

Katsuki turned around a faded red car and dove into the directed alley, spinning around as the gate was slammed shut. He panted heavily, watching as Runners, Biters and the... The thing all crashed into the chain link fence.

It's not going to hold. It won't. It can't-

"The latter, stupid! Climb the fucking latter!"

He whipped his head around, spotting the emergency exit latter, yellow and dull but a Goddamn lifesaver. He limped over, climbing the latter as quick as he could with a bad hip. A sudden explosion - loud, hot and big - caught Katsuki off guard. He gasped, only halfway up the latter. He gripped it tight, listening to the wails of the dying sick.

"All the way up, come on!"

Katsuki clenched his jaw, using mostly his upper-body strength to get the rest of the way up. His bruise is going to be real fucking ugly.

He hesitated, but ultimately took the gloved hand offered to him. Once he was on the roof, he let himself drop despite the loud protesting from his aching hip. He panted heavily, heart thundering too loud to be healthy.

"You attracted quite the crowd," his savior mused, peering over the edge of the roof. "I think I counted seven Runners, just the one Screamer, and- Damn, the Brute is still standing. Tough guy."

"The... The fucking what..?" Katsuki wheezed, still too out of breath for his liking.

The other man raised a brow, looking back to him. "The Brute..? You know what a Brute is... Right?"

"Never seen one of the fuckers before in my life!" He snapped, regretting as he leaned forward. The movement caused a new sharp pain in his hip that made him hiss. "Son of Bitch broke down the wall like it was fucking paper and separated me from my group!"

"You're not alone?"

"You are!?"

"Shut up!" The stranger gasped and waved his hands. "I've just disoriented them and they don't know where you went! We don't want to draw their attention back over here!"

Katsuki just grit his teeth and groaned, holding his aching hip.

The other man shuffled back to the edge, looking over to watch the surviving hoard disperse, in search of their missing meal.

Katsuki watched the man, inspecting closely with narrowed eyes. There was something... Weirdly familiar about him, yet not. Katsuki would have remembered someone so... Don't say hot, because he's not.

Wild, curly, forest green hair, watchful veridian eyes and gently sloped nose. Sun-kissed skin with - definitely not cute - smatterings of freckles. As the man shrugged off his jacket, Katsuki swallowed hard at the muscle underneath. Lean and slim, but strong none-the-less.

Somehow, it didn't seem quite right. Didn't seem to fit, in Katsuki's mind, and he's not sure why...

Unmanageable green curls, timid, dull eyes, pale skin with the slightest of freckles, so small and unsure - but so beautiful. Eyes large and innocent and smile bright and pure and too often hidden behind curly bangs or an old notebook, filled to the brim with notes. So perfect. Too perfect. Rambles when excited and when nervous, voice light and music to Katsuki's ears-

Crimson eyes widened a fraction, stomach clenching and heart skipping- probably not good considering how fast it still beat. His breath caught in his throat, lips parting to speak a name he hadn't dared in too long.

"Izuku..?"

-----

2544 words

Whoops. Longer than planned. When i first started writing this chapter, I was worried it was going to be too short... Then I went over. *shrug*