Operation: Forlorn Pestilence by ForgettableFox

Operation: Forlorn Pestilence

Warning: Horror, graphic depictions of extreme violence, tragedy, death.

And if you’d like to listen to a wonderful soundtrack while reading this fic – check out Secession Studios on Spotify or wherever you get your music!

Here we go!

ENJOY!

Tropes: Secret Relationship/Synthetic Plague/Quarantine with Extreme Prejudice/Sole Survivor/Psychological Horror/World War Whatever

Before...

The United States government never could leave things well enough alone.

The relic they had been after for decades had conveniently found its way into their hands circa. 2011. It occurred after a magnitude 9.1 undersea earthquake caused a tsunami that decimated Japan. The Japanese reached out to the world for assistance and, lo and behold, America gleefully answered the call.

Boots on the ground in the heart of Tokyo, under the guise of ‘humanitarian efforts,’ gave them the opportunity they were after. They were on a mission to unearth an ancient piece of antiquity that had a chronicle of calamity. Funny enough, there was an actual sense of relief from the Japanese government at having the artifact stolen...although they would never admit it, their pride in their heritage too strong.

The locals called the iridescent pink jewel, The Shikon no Tama; the U.S. called it their gateway to spreading peace and democracy throughout the land.

What a crock of shit that turned out to be.

As it happened, the jewel had a long-standing history of winding up in the hands of tyrants. Historians claimed that the jewel had been forged in the year 984 – during the Japanese Heian period – by a powerful priestess named Midoriko. Legend had it, she battled thousands of youkai for seven days and seven nights, until it became apparent she would not survive the onslaught. And so, in order to save humanity, she locked her soul, and the souls of the demons she fought, away into that of a sacred jewel.

From that point on, links to the Shikon no Tama could be found at the center of every major global catastrophe in recorded history. It traveled between the hands of dictators and thieves, flitted between dozens of countries, and killed countless innocents in a myriad of conflicts spanning across time.

Germany, 1943, the peak of Hitler’s reign during World War II. Rumor had it amongst the allied nations that the Nazis received a powerful artifact from their axis coalition. What the world didn’t know, was that the Germans were dealing with the occult and experimenting on human test subjects – the ultimate taboo. Classified records showed that the Nazis had somehow managed to manipulate the jewel’s power; they were transforming people into something other. Creatures. Demons. They destroyed as much evidence as they could once allied forces swept across Europe.

From there, the jewel mysteriously found its way to the Russians, and the Cold War ensued. America, after discovering Hitler’s personal archives, was determined to get its hands on the jewel’s arcane abilities...no matter the cost.

They followed the jewel around the world.

They tried with the Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf Wars. Followed the jewel’s trail of destruction as it made its way from Somalia in 1993 to Haiti in 1994. Somehow, the Taliban got a hold of its power and America doubled down on obtaining it, further inciting conflict in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

It was a tumultuous century of blood and pain and despair.

The jewel seemed to relish in their sorrow.

The Japanese, determined to have their history returned to them, sent a small insurgence force to smuggle the jewel out of the middle east. After a successful mission, they sealed it away in a specialized shrine – of course, that was after extensive purification rituals and covering it in sacred sutras – and prayed it’d be enough to stop the havoc from spreading. Unfortunately, incense and paper would never be enough, and Japan would be racked with a constant barrage of natural disasters – earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, and even volcanic eruptions.

And then, after nearly eight decades of pursuing the Shikon no Tama across the world, it was in their thieving hands, and the U.S. finally got their wish. However, no matter what the U.S. wanted the rest of the world to believe, they weren’t exempt from the jewel’s corruption.

While the government experimented with the jewel, their country fell into turmoil. Acts of god decimated their lands, there were political upheavals, a divide in the country’s morals, and still – they tampered with the relic. Referring to the Nazi archives they had maintained since the war, and several other records from a multitude of countries, they managed to recreate the changing effects and then some.

Not only were they able to transform people into youkai, but those youkai then had the ability to transform others as well. A mere transfer of fluids from youkai to human, that’s all it took for the change to take hold. Be it through saliva or blood or mucus, once the person was infected with the jewel’s magics...there was no going back.

Bureaucrats at the Pentagon just needed a way to control the monsters once they made the change - militarize their findings for the greater good! For whom in the world would dare step out of line if they knew their entire population could be shifted into blood-thirsty creatures!

They called the endeavor – Operation Forlorn Pestilence. A not-so-subtle joke on the 100% infection rate when introduced to new test subjects.

From there, all it took was a single mistake to ruin the world.

A miscommunication between coworkers had left a youkai unfettered in its cell at the end of a long day of experimentation. The next morning, when they went in to feed the beast, it lunged and bit an unsuspecting corporal in the neck.

Ninety seconds.

A minute and a half for the full transformation to take place. For the primal madness to set in. It was a painful ninety seconds, if the convulsions of the infected were anything to go by. Some subjects gained additional limbs; others turned into bestial creatures with animalistic features. For a rare few, they became nigh unrecognizable from the humans they once were; floating skulls who breathed flame, sea serpents whose black scales leaked oil – and in one case – a vampiric tree who snatched passersby to soak its roots with their blood.

Then the two youkai were loose in the compound. Those two, multiplied into thirty, and that thirty into an entire city, then state, then continent...

...until nowhere in the world was safe.

Governments scrambled to fight back the demonic hoards that threatened to wipe out humanity. Amid the chaos of infection, the Shikon no Tama disappeared without a trace. The World Health Organization and Center for Disease Control worked tirelessly with the scientific community, and world governments, to find a cure for the spread. Another World War broke out, but this time...it was humanity against monsters that hunted them. They locked specialists in bunkers, sheltered them so they could find a solution to the plague humans had been unwittingly unleashed on themselves.

Terror reigned supreme.

~oOo~ 

 After...

This is the story of Classified Shelter: Persistent Priestess – an outpost nestled in the rolling foothills of Japan – where a team of scientists were working diligently to fight against the youkai pandemic. The Persistent Priestess was a fitting name for the bunker that protected eight lives against the youkai scourge.

There was Dr. Kagome Higurashi, who had just graduated top of her class as an epidemiologist when the outbreak occurred – lucky her. She was immediately swept up by the government and classified as an asset. From there, they shoved her into the Persistent Priestess with the rest of her team and bid them adieu.

Kagome’s team consisted of her lead, Dr. Sesshomaru Taisho; one of the most respected disease experts in the field. It had been pure happenstance that Dr. Taisho had been in the country at all, really, when the outbreak occurred. He typically travelled throughout Africa, fighting against Ebola and Malaria pandemics that had swept across the West with devastating results. The typically stoic male was a bit of an oddity himself. He had a rare form albinism that left his short, cropped hair silvery-white, skin pale like moonlight. Behind his half-moon glasses were off-putting vermillion eyes. Coupled with his cold demeanor, he hadn't been a favorite among his colleagues – but within the bunker, his strong leadership and direct approach were more than welcome.

The other doctor in the lab was Miroku Houshi, a virologist – he had been selected for his vital role in creating a vaccine for a respiratory disease called coronavirus. Another individual at the top of his field, he was far more personable than their lead. He kept his shoulder length hair in a low ponytail which Sesshomaru referred to as ‘unprofessional’ and wore an easy smile. Violet eyes were always alight with one form of mischief or another; especially when one of the two women were present.

The remaining inhabitants of the Persistent Priestess fell into one of two groups – special forces and orphans. A strange combination to be sure, but one that had its place within this new world. The special forces units consisted of Sango – a weapons expert, Kouga – a war time veteran, and their commander, Inuyasha. They were the ones who went out on recon missions and gathered whatever supplies they could to further aide their cause. They kept the area surrounding the bunker free of youkai and protected humanities last chance at freedom.

One such extermination mission resulted in the procurement of two orphans – Rin and Shippo, eight and ten respectively. Their father had been bitten by a youkai and had transformed into a horrendous ravenous fox. The creature then assaulted and consumed their mother in a flagrant display of violence. After witnessing the atrocity, Inuyasha and his team dispatched the youkai and brought the kids back with them. It was the least they could do given the circumstances. You see, lives were valuable commodities nowadays.

And so, the eight residents learned to live and work within the six-thousand square foot facility, buried deep beneath the ground; eventually treating one another like a family of sorts. They were all they had left in this miserable, rotten world.

That had been over a year ago.

They hadn’t heard from another shelter in over four months.

It had been radio silent on all channels.

~oOo~

Present Day...

The centrifuge hummed quietly and beeped once the sequence was complete. Kagome pulled her test tubes out from the machine and brought them back to her workstation, careful not to drop any of the precious liquid therein. With a snap of rubber gloves, she pulled out a glass slide and delicately dripped a drop of her own blood from a vial. Selecting a test tube, she dashed a bit of the liquid on the slide, letting it saturate the blood. Then, she selected another vial marked ‘contaminated’ and added it to the mixture. She placed another slide atop it, then stuck it under her already calibrated microscope.

After a moment of observation, Kagome let out a heavy sigh and picked up her handheld recording device. “Captain’s Log, Day 522 –” Miroku snickered from across the room where he was studying a petri dish. Kagome stuck out her tongue and continued, “Testing of cure sample 4-1-2-7 has proven to be inconclusive. The disease moved too quickly for the sample to be considered effective – although, it did slow down the normal rate of biological shift. Decay and transformation of red blood cells occurred at the forty-five second mark. Will change potency limiters in the next batch and record results upon completion of testing.”

She turned off and set down her recorder, scrubbing a hand down her face. Another failed experiment. It had become a tired game of try, try again within the Persistent Priestess. One that she had hoped this latest batch of antidote would cure.

“Sesshomaru, how’s your allotment looking?” she called across the room.

He looked up from his tablet with a furrowed brow. “It remains to be seen. The simulation we ran had an outpouring of promising feedback. However, we will not be sure until the diagnostic screening is complete.” The doctor swiped his tablet and nodded. “It shall be finished in approximately thirty minutes. Then we shall have our results.”

He gave her one of his rare smiles that felt like sunshine bursting free from dark clouds. It was warm and comforting and Kagome wanted to bask in its glow. He said, “I have a good feeling about this one. All the previous samples did not have nearly this high of potential success rates within the simulation as this batch.”

Miroku leaned back in his chair, fingers laced behind his neck. “And if we find the cure? Then what? It’s not like we’ve had any contact from the other bunkers or government for some time now. Who do we tell?”

Their lead shrugged. “That matters little. We supply those who need it with the remedy to their affliction. Eventually, someone of note will find us or we shall stumble upon them. Our purpose is to heal the sick, no matter the cost.”

Miroku frowned. “Yeah, I guess so.” He glanced to the stack of monitors that streamed the shelter’s camera feeds. “Hey guys, Inuyasha and the team haven’t come back from their supply run yet...have they?”

“No, I don’t think so,” said Kagome, turning to follow his gaze. “They usually cause so much of a ruckus that – what is going on out there?”

The three doctors headed to the screens to stare confusedly at what they were witnessing. There were explosions of light and shifting shapes that sprinted through the darkening tree line.

Sesshomaru adjusted his glasses and said, “Jaken, turn on sound for exterior cameras and play them in the lab.”

“Of course, milord!” shrilled the A.I. who ran their systems.

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Did you have to program it to call you ‘milord?’ It’s creepy.”

He smirked. “I find that there has been a distinct lack of respect the longer we cohabitate. So, I remedied the situation.”

“In other words,” murmured the virologist, “he needed his ego stroked so he did it himself.”

Sesshomaru gave an impressive glower from behind his half-moon spectacles and Miroku chuckled nervously.

There was a blast of sound that pierced the quiet of the lab as the speakers tried to adjust to the noise. A monstrous cacophony shattered across the room that raised gooseflesh along their arms. There was a roar and a subsequent scream from an unknown source. Snarls followed by another explosion. The pattering of bullets from an automatic rifle, set to burst, played accompaniment. Thundering shapes stampeded past the cameras, the glare from the setting sun casting them into grotesque silhouettes.  

“I don’t understand what’s happening,” whispered Kagome, shifting her face closer to the monitors. “Are we – under attack?”

The door to the lab opened, startling Miroku and Kagome, as Rin and Shippo nervously entered.

“Kagome, what’s going on?” asked Shippo, coming to stare at the monitors with them. “We heard the noise from down the hall, is everything alright?” He squeezed his sister’s hand.

“I’m not sure, kiddo. There’s something going on outside and Inuyasha and his team aren’t back yet.”

“Milord, there has been a breach in sector three. Unknown number of entities moving towards the bunker,” cried Jaken.

“Shit, that’s not good,” said Miroku worriedly. He searched the cameras for any sign of their unit. “Sesshomaru, what should we do?” All eyes turned toward the lead as he stoically took in the situation.

“We continue our work. None of us are equipped to venture out, so the logical choice is to remain here.”

Miroku and Kagome shared a skeptical look.

“Breach in sector two, milord!”

“Thank you, Jaken. Turn volume off in the lab but continue to monitor the situation outside. Turn on facial recognition software to sound off if any of the special forces team is identified.”

“Most certaintly! Your humble servant will fulfill your every desire!”

The virologist elbowed Kagome and said in a conspiratorial whisper, “You’re right, it is creepy.” They remained glued to the commotion on the screens.

Rin hesitantly reached for the albino’s hand and laced her fingers into his much bigger one. She pressed herself into his side. With her sad mahogany eyes and rumpled hair, she was the only one able to get away with such a blatant public display of affection. “Sesshomaru, we’re scared. Can we stay here in the lab with you guys?”

She wielded her puppy-dog eyes like one might an offering plate at church; to request more than what she had – and, perhaps, needed. To beg in a way that benefited her most of all. Their lead melted under the onslaught and gave a weary sigh. It was a long-standing rule that children – said with a curled lip – were not allowed in the lab. But for Rin, exceptions were always made.

“As long as you do not touch any of the equipment –” he glared vermillion eyes at Shippo, who looked away innocently, “And remain where I put you, then I see no harm.”  Rin squealed in delight.

Kagome ruffled Shippo’s auburn hair. “Don’t look so glum, hun. It’s not like his accusation isn’t unfounded.” She winked and he laughed guiltily.

“Facial recognition analysis has identified Commander Inuyahsa and his team,” squawked Jaken matter-of-factly. “They are at the external access door and are typing in their entry code as we speak.”

“Alright! They’re back!” cheered Shippo, pumping his fist into the air. “Come on Rin, let’s see if they brought back anything good!” Taking his sister’s hand, and sticking his tongue out at an annoyed Sesshomaru, the two dashed out the lab.

Miroku watched them go with a sigh. “Best go with them, in case Inuyasha and Kouga are as irritable as always.” Shoving his hands into his pockets, he followed the children out the door; although, with much less enthusiasm.

Finding themselves alone, Kagome sidled up to Sesshomaru and stroked the back of his hand with feather-light fingertips. He flicked his vermillion gaze towards her and gave her a disapproving frown, which she aptly ignored. She stroked up his pale wrist and caressed the valleys of his palm.

“Everyone’s preoccupied – we could slip away for a few minutes.” She grinned up at him, her cerulean gaze mischievous. His lips gave the smallest of quirks.

They had been seeing each other in secret for some time now. Their relationship had blossomed entirely by accident. Working side-by-side over the past year and a half, meals shared, quiet conversations in the late evenings – they all created the perfect circumstances for their bond to grow into something more. However, given the nature of their work, and the poor female to male ratio within the shelter, they had decided it best not to flaunt their committed status.

His gaze took on a hungry gleam as he pulled Kagome flush against him. He brought their lips together in a chaste kiss and nipped her bottom lip. “I wish I could.” Kagome fought to school her disappointment. “Given the commotion outside, it is probably best if I speak to the half-wit concerning our next steps.” Sesshomaru brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. “Raincheck for later tonight?”

Kagome sighed with mock indignation. “I have plans.”

“Oh, I wasn’t aware that your calendar was full.” Sarcasm laced his tone.

“Filled to the brim, actually,” she said haughtily. “Some might say it’s overfull.”

Sesshomaru bent to growl in her ear, “That was my intent for you tonight, beauty...filling you up until you are bursting. Rutting into that sweet, tight slit until I have you begging for more.” His tongue ran along the shell of her ear, eliciting a shiver from Kagome. “Shame that you are – busy.”

Kagome swallowed thickly. Her voice was reedy as she said, “I think my calendar just cleared up.”

He chuckled darkly, and gave her another kiss – this one laced with lingering decadence.

“Ugh, you always know just what to say to get me all riled up. It’s so unfair.”

“Hn. You make it too easy, darling.” He winked over his shoulder as he crossed the lab. “Would you mind keeping an eye on the diagnostic screening until I return?”

“Sure, no problem...Oh, and Sesshomaru?”

He turned with a silver brow raised inquisitively.

“I love you.”

He smiled softly. “And I, you.”

As he left, the murmuring hum of equipment processing was the only sound within the lab. Kagome let out a heavy sigh and pulled her raven tresses up into a high ponytail. Her face and neck had suddenly become very warm, despite the cool air being forced through the vents.

“Jaken, could you change the camera stream from external to internal, please? Sound on. Then set an alert for when the diagnostic screening is complete for batch 4-1-2-8 as well as the result.”

“If I must,” snarked the computer, and Kagome found herself annoyed all over again at the software Sesshomaru had created.

Instead of returning to her lab table, Kagome watched as Sesshomaru made his way to the internal entry door’s foyer; Miroku and the kids were already waiting. His tall and athletic build made his strides long and confident. He prowled through the corridors like a beast on the hunt for answers.

There was a scrambling movement on camera one, the external entry point, that caught Kagome’s eye. Sango seemed to be limping heavily; she shouted at the other two as the access door slid open. Kouga and Inuyasha were both firing wildly out into the courtyard and the former then tossed a grenade; it lit up the area and they flew to follow Sango.

Kouga made it in just fine, but a cat-like creature grabbed Inuyasha at the last minute and pulled him from the camera’s view. Kagome watched with bated breath as the Commander reappeared and valiantly fought against the youkai. Kouga returned not a moment too soon and rammed the butt of his rifle repeatedly against the demon’s face. It reeled backward and Kouga hastily escorted the Commander inside.

Kagome shifted to the next feed to watch the unit within the tunnel. There were two doors separated by a cement passageway, one needed to go through, to gain full access to the Persistent Priestess. It was a preventative measure in case the external entry door was breached. Sango had already opened the second, internal door and was shouting once more to her friends.

That’s when Kagome noticed Inuyasha weave drunkenly before collapsing. Kouga was already halfway down the tunnel, and too distracted by the argument Miroku and Sango seemed to have gotten into. Inuyasha began to convulse and his face twisted in agony...and Kagome knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Inuyasha was infected.

Less than ninety seconds. That’s all the time she had to warn the others! To get them to close the internal door!

“Fuck!” Kagome sprinted through the lab, and almost careened into the hydraulic door when it didn’t open fast enough. Her cute, white flats made for less-than-ideal running shoes, but she endured.

“Close the door!” she shrieked as she ran. “Close the fucking door!” Kagome sobbed her mantra as she bolted. She was a screaming banshee haunting the corridors of their prison, begging them to save themselves from the demon within their midst.

How long did it take her to reach the opposite side of the bunker, racing as she was? Forty seconds? Maybe a minute? She barreled into the foyer with the others to hear the argument Sango and Miroku were having – about what, she couldn’t be certain.

Sesshomaru turned worriedly as she skid to a halt.

“Close it!” she screamed. “Inuyasha is infected! Hurry!”

It was too late.

A ferocious snarl echoed down the tunnel and Kouga screamed as Inuyasha bit into his calf with elongated fangs. Kouga had made it to the door and was waiting patiently to be let in when he was attacked – the youkai was here!

“Shit!” Sango lurched into bunker and attempted to pull the door closed behind her.

But Inuyasha had gained inhuman speed. Already he was up and at the door, wrenching it from Sango and Miroku’s joint grip. His transformation has left him almost a mirror to Sesshomaru, and if it weren’t for the jagged magenta stripes that slashed his cheeks, or the fangs and claws – the two could have been brothers. Inuyasha’s black hair had become silvery strands and his once brown eyes had turned crimson with bright blue pupils. Two dog ears were nestled at the crown of his head that twitched with every sound.

Rin and Shippo both cried out right as Sesshomaru yelled to Kagome, “Run! Take the kids and hide! I'll hold him off!” And he dashed into the fray to help the others. Kagome took both the kids’ hands, but found herself loath to leave the others behind.

Sango and Miroku were battling against Inuyasha who lunged at the two of them with bared fangs. He swiped at Sango with dagger-like claws. Her leg injury hindered her movement and he slashed her across the stomach. She screamed; hands flew to her midsection as entrails spilled out onto the floor. Blood spurted from the cavity and she collapsed into a twitching pile of her own viscera.

Kagome turned the children away at the last moment, shoved them into the adjacent corridor. “Run to the lab! I’ll be right behind you!” The kids took off without a backward glance. Tears splattered against the floor as they ran, a trail of sorrowful breadcrumbs for her to follow.

“No, Sango!” Miroku dodged to the side of Inuyasha’s next attack right as Sesshomaru tackled the youkai. They rolled across the ground in a heap of limbs and silver hair. Miroku hurried for Sango’s pistol, still within the holster, and unbuckled it with shaking fingers.

Kagome stood, warring with her own indecision as to what she should do next. She stood like a deer in the headlights as new demon joined them – Kouga. The infection within his body had shifted him into – what Kagome could only define as – a werewolf. The massive monster, covered in shaggy brown fur, was the stuff of nightmares. Its body was emaciated to the point of skeletal and peppered with oozing pus-filled sores – it lurched on awkwardly jutting limbs. Thick ropes of putrid saliva dripped from his muzzle as he surveyed the foyer with bulging yellow eyes. The wolf’s fangs hung past the bottom of jaws, giving him a saber-toothed appearance.

He threw his head back and howled; managed three steps into the foyer before it lumbered backward. Miroku unleashed all the rounds within the clip he liberated. The months of casual training with the soldiers had paid off, all fifteen bullets hit center mass and the wolf reeled back into the tunnel. Miroku leapt across Sango’s corpse, avoided the still fighting men, and rushed to the door in an effort to close it.

Right as he was pulling the door closed, two massive clawed hands reached into the gap.

“Goddamnit! He’s trying to get back in!” yelled Miroku, violet eyes awash with fear. “Kagome! I need some help over here!”

With a gasp, Kagome reverted from her statuesque form and became a being of motion. She sprinted across the foyer to help her friend. Together, they managed to close the door an inch, than another. Until the wolf’s hand darted further in and grasped Miroku by the wrist. The beast bayed in triumph as he wretched the limb, effectively pulling Miroku off balance and into the doorway. There was a sound of bones snapping and blood sprayed across the titanium door.

Miroku screamed.

“Miroku!” shouted Kagome, gripping his other hand. She tugged with all her might, bloodied flats skidding over the tile floor. “I got you, I won’t let go!”

He screamed and started to shake, eyes rolled to the back of his head as he said, “It’s too late for me, close the – the door! Hurry!”

With a sob, Kagome shoved the spasming Miroku further out with the demon and slammed the door closed, pressing the locking mechanism as quickly as she could. She covered her ears with her hands in an effort to block out the shrieks from the other side of the door. There was a roar and Sesshomaru cursed. Kagome glanced over in time to see Inuyasha sinking his teeth into her lover’s shoulder.

Ninety seconds.

She had ninety seconds to escape to the lab.

She had to hurry.

Fuck, she had to run!

NOW!

Without a backward glance she bounded away from the horror her two friends had become within the tunnel. She careened past the former Commander and the love of her life. Bolted away from the body of the woman she had considered a sister. She ran for all she was worth. Her lungs pulled desperately for more air as she ignored the stitch in her side. The wet blood on her flats caused her to slide into the turn and crash into the wall.

Kagome staggered onto all fours, struggling to gain traction before finally kicking her shoes off in a hurry. There was a blood-curdling snarl that rang through halls followed by a second shortly thereafter. She rushed away towards the lab and could see the children staring wide-eyed.

Rin covered her tear-streaked face and Shippo pointed behind her with a shout.

She squeezed her eyes shut and forced her limbs to move faster.

‘I’m gonna make it!’

Kagome slammed into the lab door when it didn’t open automatically. She pounded on the reinforced plexiglass with all her might.

“Jaken! Open the doors!” she screeched. “Let me in! Let me in!”

Shippo and Rin were desperately attempting to override the lock from the other side.

The computer’s voice was smug. “My apologies Dr. Higurashi, but infected have breached the secure confines of the Persistent Priestess. I have gone into quarantine action Alpha to maintain the integrity of the lab until the threat has been neutralized. Have a wonderful day!”

“Bastard! Fucking bastard! I’m not infected! Let me in!” Her forehead skid against the glass as she continued to pound weakly in defeat.

Rin’s muffled cry alerted her to the approaching threat and Kagome whipped her head around.

It was Sesshomaru, dragging the corpse of a mutilated Inuyasha behind him. He drug him by the arm, much like a child would drag their favorite toy; except children’s toys didn’t leave a trail of fresh blood its wake.

Kagome took a step back, then another, knees quaked as she retreated.

Feral.

Her stoic, handsome love had turned into something straight from the pits of hell; or, perhaps, absconded to earth from the heavens. An archangel come to call – to collect the souls of those deemed unworthy.

Where once she found his albinistic features beautiful, she now found them intimidating – wraithlike. His transformation had left him with ethereal grace. Silver hair had grown out into long tresses that swayed around his hips as he neared; pointed ears peeked out between the strands. Ruffled bangs framed a blue crescent moon stamped to the center of his forehead, while two magenta stripes accented each cheek.

His eyes had remained the familiar vermillion – but where they once gazed upon her with warmth and limitless affection...now they bore into her like a predator would injured prey. He stalked her down the hall, dropping the corpse in a tangle of limbs and ichor. Sesshomaru’s claws flexed.

Kagome had nowhere to run.

The hall was a dead end. The irony of her life ending at a dead end made an anguished chuckle burble past her lips. She peeked at the kids’ horrified faces as Sesshomaru prowled past without giving them another look – gaze fixed firmly on his victim.

“Come here my sweet,” he purred. “I just want a taste of what you promised me.”

“No! Don’t come another step closer!”

Her back hit the wall and she raised her hands as if to ward off evil – to ward off the devil himself. With supernatural speed he closed the distance between them and wrapped his hand around her throat. He raised her thrashing body with no effort at all. Kagome’s feet kicked wildly out beneath her, and she clawed at his hand, wrist, and arm to no avail.

“Or else what?” He chuckled, breaking into a wretched grin that split his face in two.

Kagome tried to draw in a gasping breath. Heavy tears cascaded down her face to shower his wrist in her fear. To her despair, Sesshomaru drew his face nearer, licking his too-pale lips.

“Just a bite,” he murmured.

Quick as a snake, he angled his hand to expose her throat, and pierced the artery with his fangs. He moaned as he drank from her. Kagome sucked in a breath enough to scream. She tried shoving his face away, kicking any part she could reach. But he had become immovable steel – a solid band of ravening muscle. They sank to the ground and Kagome could feel her strength leaving her.

Ninety seconds.

She had a minute and a half to come to a decision.

Cerulean eyes flicked to the children.

She only needed ten.

“Jaken!” she wailed. “Perform quarantine function – Cleansing Reiki! Authorization code – Miko!”

“Voice confirmation – Dr. Kagome Higurashi. Authorization code – confirmed. Performing quarantine function Cleansing Reiki. Good luck!” chirped Jaken.

“Fuck...you.”

~oOo~

Alarm sirens blared throughout the Persistent Priestess frightening its last remaining inhabitants. The two were plastered to the plexiglass, watching in terror as their friend was consumed by someone they had considered a father figure. Kagome struggled as best she could, but the monster held her tighter and guzzled her life force with greedy draughts. She convulsed in his tightened grip and began to scream. It was a bone-chilling, terrified dissonance of hopelessness.

The children couldn’t look away.

“Alert! Alert!” called Jaken. “Quarantine function Cleansing Reiki authorized in T-minus 60 - 59 - 58!"

“Shippo! What is that?” cried Rin.

“It’s the shelter preparing for extermination! Hurry, we need to put on our gear!”

Shippo led his sister to the lockers that held the bunker’s gas masks, and hurried to help her don it. Quick, efficient motions and training overrode his trembling. Inuyasha had insisted they practice for this very event – when the toxic gasses were released in case of infiltration. After ensuring the ties were tight, her seal secure, and the filters were operable, he donned his own.

“27 - 26 - 25!"

There was the sound of glass shattering and shards flew in all directions. The creature that was once Sesshomaru, mouth slathered in blood, was breaking into the lab with maddened, hungry eyes. Beside him, Kagome hovered in the air as if she were floating in water, hair shifted around her in an undulating mass. She had become a drowning apparition, skin mottled green and bloated, and eyes milky white. Brackish water spilled from her silently screaming mouth. The monster heaved with suffocated breaths and reached for them with distended hands.

Shippo’s voice was muffled by the mask as he shouted, “Rin! Find a place to hide! I’ll keep them busy until the gas can take effect!”

“10 - 9 - 8!"

“Brother, please don’t leave me!”

“It’s fine! Go!”

He sprinted at the creatures, throwing a microscope he snatched from a nearby table. “Get outta here!”

“7 - 6 - 5!”

Rin had crawled into the locker and closed the door enough for her to still peek through. That’s when she saw the Kagome disappear and manifest in front of Shippo. The boy tried to leap back and away, but the waterlogged monster moved in a blur. She grabbed Shippo, ripped his mask off, and poured her heinous water into his screaming mouth. Then, Sesshomaru was before her, opening the locker door with his ghoulish smile.

“4 - 3 – 2!”

“Shippo!”

“1 - initiating gas!”

The ventilation system whined and the pipes lining the ceiling sprayed chemicals into the air. Experimentation had shown that this toxic combination was highly effective against the youkai in all their forms. The drowned nightmare threw the boy across the room, where he hit the wall with a crack. Then it and Sesshomaru emitted their own wails of agony. They shrieked and slammed into tables and cabinets – equipment flew in all directions – Sesshomaru clawed furrows into his own face that left bloody flaps of skin, while Kagome continued to vomit pitch water at an alarming rate.

The creatures collapsed, shuddering.

Rin trembled, pressing her mask closer to her face, ensuring the seal was tight.

“Quarantine function Cleansing Reiki complete! Quarantine action Alpha complete! The Persistent Priestess is clear of infected and has been deemed safe!”

Rin clamored out of the relative safety of the locker and hurried to her brother’s side. His neck was bent at an off angle, emerald eyes wide. She sobbed into her mask and clutched his body to her. She rocked, murmuring nonsense to the one person who truly anchored her in this world.

“Attention! Attention! Diagnostic screening of sample batch 4-1-2-8 has been deemed a success! Congratulations are in order to those within the Persistent Priestess! You’ve done it!”

~oOo~

A/N: Thank you for reading!

<3FF